Running To Live
by princess-of-terabithia
Summary: Renesmee has been having strange dreams about a handsome man. One day, she meets him and runs away with him. What will happen? Sorry, I really suck at descriptions. Read on! :
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1. Who Is He?

I was running towards him, fingers outstretched. He seemed so real, and he was standing right there! I reached up to his face, and…

"BEEPBEEPBEEPBEE-!" I slammed my hand down onto the source, irritation rumbling in my mind. I heard it crack and mentally cursed myself. 'Dammit. There goes my alarm clock. I'll have Emmett fix it later.' Ugh. That had been the best dream that I've had so far, and my stupid alarm HAD to wake me up when it was getting good!

"Nessie!"

Yep, Mom was already here. I stretched and stared at the moon and star design on my ceiling. Grandma Esme had redone one of the guest rooms for me so that I can sleep at the big house whenever I want. And actually, I spend most of my time at the big house, because Mom and Dad are going through their mid-life crisis's, which apparently require copious amounts of late night sex. So, I moved in here. Then, a wonderful thought creeped into my mind; it's the last day of school! I jumped out of bed and walked to my closet, humming my new favorite song, "Where Have You Been?" by Manchester Orchestra. I didn't want to wear anything THAT nice since it was the last day of high school, but decided to make a nice last impression and scraped together an outfit. I grabbed my backpack and cell phone, and raced down the stairs. Everyone was there (minus Grandpa Carlisle; he LOVES to take the night shift, and the no sleep thing helps), getting ready to go out. Hmm, they never go out…this is a nice change of pace.

Aunt Alice swept her eyes over me, nodding. "Well, I would have chosen your purple tank, but otherwise, I approve." I rolled my eyes playfully. Even though I have a pretty good sense of fashion, Aunt Alice feels the intense need to approve my clothing choices.

Dad stood up swiftly from his place next to Mom at the piano and walked over. "You ready?"

I snatched a water bottle from the fridge and nodded. "Yup."

We ran out to the garage and slid into the Volvo. Its engine started up with a purr and the forest around us blurred as we raced down the driveway. The town was stirring; just the shop owners and joggers were up and moving. The ride was really quiet. We talked about the weather, and what we might do over the summer, but that was mostly it.

He pulled up to the school quickly and I spotted one person who I wanted to see.

"Bye Daddy!" I kissed him swiftly on the cheek and hopped out of the car, running towards her. I caught her from behind and squeezed her in a huge hug. "Hi Manders!"

She laughed. "Hi Nessers."

Amanda Uley is my absolute best friend in the entire world; she's practically my sister. I convinced her to go the Forks High School instead of the high school on the rez after we finished 8th grade. Her parents, Emily and Sam, are like my foster parents, because I spend most days of the week at her house.

"Hello? Nessie! You somewhere in there?" I snapped back to Earth and saw Amanda standing in front of me, looking amused. "Thinking about Dream Boy?"

I blushed so deeply that even Mom would have been proud. "Maybe…so?"

Amanda laughed. "Do you even know if he exists or not?"

I shrugged, but my shoulders slumped. "No. So, how's Seth?" Amanda and Seth have been going out for about 2 months now.

A roar coming from down the road interrupted our conversation. "Speak of the devil, and devil shall appear…" Amanda whispered in my ear. Of course, the La Push wolf gang. Seth was in it, from his being a werewolf and all. They slowed to a stop in front of the school, impatient with all the early morning traffic. On boy in the back caught my eye. He looked incredibly familiar…HOLY CRAP! That boy was Dream Boy! I stared at him, and he did a double take at me. He didn't watch where he was going, so he ran into Seth. Seth turned around and bared his teeth, growling. I giggled and ran out of the starting rain towards Amanda.

"So, who was that guy who ran into Seth?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh. THAT'S Jacob Black. He's Billy Black's son." Jacob…so, I finally had a name for the face.

"Why haven't I ever seen him around before?"

Amanda clicked open her locker and started pulling out books. "He just finished up his last year at Washington State. He's moved back to La Push till he can get a job, which isn't happening fast enough for Billy, or ME. He's always moping about how LONELY he is, and how he wants a GIRLFRIEND. What a whiner."

A girlfriend? Well, I could fill that void! All I'll have to do is hone in on my flirt skills and do some smooth talking! The late bell snapped me out of my thoughts, and I joined Amanda in a mad dash for 1st period, earning the death glare from a few passing administrators.

All through English, I couldn't stop thinking about Dream Boy. I just had to figure out a way to meet him!

"Ms. Cullen!"

I came back to Earth (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and saw Mr. Howard standing by the whiteboard, looking really annoyed. "Now, that you've decided to join us again, would you care to explain your answer to question four?" Monica Stanley snickered, and I shot her a dirty look before launching into my speech. Daydreaming can't last forever, unfortunately…

The final bell (which sounds frighteningly familiar to my now smashed alarm clock, just more nasal) rang out, freeing us from Trigonometry. Amanda and I grabbed our stuff and dashed (human dashing!) out to the parking lot. The downpour had turned into light mist, and it felt good after the hot, stuffy classroom.

"Wanna spend the night at my place? It's lasagna night…" She added this, knowing that it would only make me want to go to La Push more; like I even needed convincing.

"Okay. Let me call Mom first." I whipped out my cell phone and dialed Mom's number. She picked up even before the first ring was over. "Hi Renesmee. Yes, you can sleep over at Amanda's." Alice. Of course, she would have seen me calling to ask.

"Thanks Mom. I'll be home tomorrow. Love you!" I clicked the phone shut and nodded to Amanda. We were the last ones in the lot by now, so we set off in a full sprint towards La Push. Nobody (not even Billy or Old Quil Atera) is sure whether the werewolf gene was passed down through Sam to Amanda. But, she is as strong and as fast as the others.

We reached the borderline quickly and slowed to a walk through the village. "Well…it happened." Amanda sighed dramatically, tempting me to ask her.

I looked over at her curiously. "What happened?"

"Seth imprinted on me…DON'T FREAK OUT!"

My mouth hung open in shock. "How can you tell?"

She smiled towards the jagged cliffs beyond the village. "I asked Mom about it when I had my suspicions. She told me about her and Dad, and what happened with them. He'll look at you really seriously, almost like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time, never want to leave your side, and basically acts like a lovesick boy."

I gagged. "A lovesick BOY? That sounds horrifying!"

Amanda laughed. "Aww, it's not SO bad! And that's probably how Dream Boy is going to act when he meets you; if he even exists!" I stopped her. If I wanted to meet Jacob, I had to tell her. It was now or never.

"Jacob is Dream Boy" I said in a flat voice. She blinked and took off in a full sprint up the road. "Amanda! Where are you going?"

She yelled over her shoulder. "Jacob's house!" She wouldn't. I ran after her and jumped on her back, knocking her to the ground.

"Amanda Lauren Uley, if you mention ANYTHING to Jacob about my dreams, so help me, I'll…I'll…I'll tell Seth about our EIGHTH GRADE SPRING BREAK."

Her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

I folded my arms across my chest. "There's no telling what I would and wouldn't do when it comes to love." A wicked smile spread across Amanda's face.

"Fine. I won't say anything to Jake. But, you should know, whenever Mom makes lasagna, the ENTIRE PACK comes over."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2. Imprinting

"Hi Emily!" I gave my adopted mother a hug while Amanda stashed our backpacks in the hall closet. Emily smiled at us.

"Did school go okay?" Amanda shrugged.

"Ehh, school never changes. Boring, boring, boring."

Emily laughed. "Well, Sam and everyone else should be here soon. You two go on and have fun." We made a mad dash for Amanda's room and collapsed in a heap on her bed. I looked at her and we said at the same time, "Juno." Juno is our absolute favorite movie of all time.

About 20 minutes into it, I heard the front door slam about a hundred times. Whoopie, my enormous half brothers were home.

"EEEE! Seth's here!" Amanda dashed out of the room and I followed after her, rolling my eyes good-naturedly. Sure enough, by the time I got in there, she was giving Seth a big hug and kiss.

"Seth, c'mon man, we're trying to eat here!" Embry whined through mouthfuls of lasagna. I laughed and gave all my oversized half brothers a hug before getting a plate of pasta. I hopped up onto the counter and watched everyone chatter happily around the table. Only person missing? Jacob.

"So, where's Jacob?"

Quil swallowed and answered. "He wanted to push it an extra three miles. 5 minutes tops." I sighed. 5 more minutes until I get to see my Dream Boy. I sat on the counter quietly, picking at my lasagna. Somebody walked over and placed their hand on my shoulder.

"Sweetie?"

I looked up and saw Emily, worry written all over her face. "I'm alright; just thinking."

She smiled at me and went to go stand with Sam. Seconds later, the door opened and slammed, and Jacob appeared, shaking his rain soaked hair. It was cropped short, like the others. He looked up and saw me staring at him, and grinned. I looked down quickly at my dinner, blushing furiously. Amanda looked at me, then him, and rolled her eyes. She got up from Seth's lap and shoved Jacob (with surprising strength; he was huge!) over to where I was sitting. "Renesmee, Jacob. Jacob, Renesmee. Now, talk!"

I stared at her in disbelief as she flounced back to Seth. I looked at Jacob. He was staring down awkwardly at his Nikes. This would be interesting. "So…want to help me hunt down Amanda in her sleep?"

Jacob laughed. "Sounds like a plan. Although Seth might rip us apart if we try. So, how do you know Amanda?"

I smiled. "We've been best friends since we were in diapers. What about you?"

He grinned. "I was the one who was changing her diapers! If you guys have been friends for so long, then how come we never met?"

I shrugged. "Well, Amanda told me that you were never around La Push that much. Maybe it's a fate thing? But you've been at college for the past couple years, and I've been hanging out here more than ever since 9th grade, so yeah."

It was quiet for a few minutes after that, minus the whispered "get some" and soft snickering. Eventually, he was brave enough to break the silence. "Um…want to go walk down to the beach? I think the rain stopped."

Was he really asking me to go walk on the beach with him? ALONE? "Sure." I said bravely or pretty close to it. I hopped off the counter and walked out of the room with him, ignoring Embry and Quil's wolf whistles, no pun intended, as we went.

As we walked to the beach, I realized something about myself: I honestly and truly HATE awkward silences. That's what it was between Jacob and me until we got down to the beach. The rays of sun that filtered through the clouds warmed my skin, and the breeze gently pushed my hair away from my face. I closed my eyes and smiled. "So, what's your family like?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Well…they can be annoying sometimes, but I love 'em, blood related or not. What about yours?"

He sighed. "Dad is great. Rebecca is the best sister a guy could ask for, and Rachel, well…she's the typical annoying big sister."

I laughed. "Yeah, I know how THAT feels." I stared out towards the water, trying to think of something else to say. "So you're a werewolf?"

He nodded. "Yup. It's a pain in the ass, but those guys are my brothers. I wouldn't trade it for anything." He looked at me suspiciously. "We don't usually tell humans our secrets, but you're not human. At least, you don't smell like one. What are you?"

I swallowed. "Well, I'm a vampire. Um, HALF vampire, technically."

He gaped. "Woah, really? Who are your parents?"

I don't know why, but I had a feeling deep down that I shouldn't tell him who my parents are. I don't know why, I just felt like I shouldn't. "Um, they're not my real parents. I don't know where they are. I have foster parents. They live way out in the forest." Okay, so it wasn't a TOTAL lie. My family DOES live way out in the woods, and my aunts and uncles and my dad are all 'foster' kids."W-Why were you staring at me this morning?" I asked hesitantly. He looked a little embarrassed.

"I, well…um…I thought that you were the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen." Jacob looked pointedly down at his sneakers. I silently thanked my very lucky stars.

"Oh. Well…I have a secret." I paused before continuing with caution. "I dream about you every night. Only, I didn't know that it was you until this morning, when I saw you…" I trailed off, looking up at him. Jacob was staring at me very intently. Almost with the expression of…of a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. I smiled up at him, and mentally promised myself to send Amanda a barrel full of chocolate before the weekend was over.

We had been talking for hours when we finally realized that it had turned dark enough for the stars to come out. A long, drawn out howl pierced the air and echoed off the towering cliffs towards the woods. "Aw crap, I have border patrols tonight! You want me to get you back? I'm pretty fast."

I grinned at him through the darkness. "Betcha I'm faster!"

He growled playfully. "Race you!" And with that, Jacob took off up the path. I laughed and raced after him. It only took me a few seconds to catch up. Jacob pushed himself further and won by a millimeter. He let out a cheer and said, "You vamps aren't as fast as you seem!" I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. You guys are a bunch of humongous wolves that imprint on unsuspecting girls." He laughed.

"Fair enough. So…I guess I'll see you later then…" There was an electric charge in the air; I could feel it. The rain started to pour down from the menacing looking clouds.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Then (I could feel my heart going into overdrive right about now), he leaned down and kissed my cheek softly. Jacob pulled away smiling and ran into the trees beyond the house, ditching his t-shirt as he went. I broke into a bite-the-bottom-of-your-lip smile and ran into the house, only to be tackled by Amanda. "I WANT DETAILS! NOW!" I stood up and pulled her into her room, shutting the door behind us.

"He kissed me. Well, it was just on my cheek." Amanda started squealing into her pillow, seeing as it was practically midnight by now, and her squealing can wake up anything. "And I'm two billion percent sure that he imprinted on me."

Amanda's eyes were like dinner plates by now, and she jumped up and squeezed me in a death hug. "Ohmigosh this is GREAT!"

"Can't. Breathe. Please. Release!" She let me go and I gasped.

"Aren't you glad that I'm so assertive and cupid-like?"

I looked up at her. "It's your worst and best quality. I owe you a barrel of chocolate."


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3. Forbidden

I didn't head back to my house until after 8:30pm. I didn't think that my parents would mind me coming home so late; but, it became evident from the moment that I walked through the front door, that something was obviously wrong. The house was totally silent, so I guessed that they were waiting for me. I walked into the pitch black living room and flicked on the light switch. Every single member of my family was sitting there. Yup, definitely waiting. "So, did Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett start World War Three while I was gone?"

Uncle Emmett snickered. "Nope. But, there might be one here in a moment. Let's allow the mad-beyond-belief-dad explain, shall we?" Uncle Emmett settled into the cushions and gestured my Dad. I looked over at him and took a step backward. He looked completely FURIOUS.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen." Uh oh, we're in full name territory now. This isn't gonna be pretty.

"Do you understand the severity of the situation? Of what you have done?" I quickly reviewed everything I had done in the past 24 hours: took my final trig quiz that I naturally aced, had a dish soap bubble fight, got a boyfriend, went surfing…what seemed wrong about those things? "The third thing is the problem." My Dad growled through bared teeth. Of course, Dad was reading my mind.

"So, you're pissed off at me because I have my first boyfriend?" Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie let out deafening squeals, sounding a whole lot like Amanda.

"You have a boyfriend?"

I stared at Aunt Alice. "What, you couldn't see it?"

She shook her head. "Whenever you involve the wolves in your future, you vanish right out of my vision." Oh yeah; Barbie moment. Alice can't see the wolves, unless she wants to get a major migraine trying.

Mom stepped forward, looking like a worried supermodel. "Nessie." Dad cut her off.

"Bella please let me explain." She shot him a panicked look, but went to go sit with Rosalie on the couch. "Nessie, you can't be with Jacob. It goes against all our rules. They already hate us for changing your mother." I stared at him in disbelief.

"So I can't be with a guy because of some stupid, 80-year old treaty? Dad, that's not fair!"

"I don't have to be fair! And, you can't go to La Push if you're going to see him! Even if it's at Sam's house!" Tears began to cloud my vision, and a lump rose in my throat.

"Dad, I love him! And he imprinted on me! I can't be away from him!"

"Do I look like I care what rules those MUTTS have? You've gotten a bit too big for your britches, young lady. You're MY daughter, not Sam's, and I'll tell you what you can and can't do!"

"Sam is a WAY better dad than you'll EVER be!"

He looked absolutely livid now. "I FORBID YOU TO GO TO LA PUSH, AND THAT'S FINAL!"

"FINE, THEN I'LL JUST LEAVE!"

"GOOD! DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK!" The dam that had been holding back all my tears broke, and I dashed for the door, crying uncontrollably. I think Grandma Esme and Mom called after me, but I could really care less. The shouting inside my house became a distant dull roar as I neared my parent's cottage. I hadn't been here in months, but I can still remember where everything I needed is. I grabbed a sturdy backpack and threw a bunch of random clothes into it, not really looking to see what they were. I grabbed a credit card out of Dad's safe and quickly scribbled a note to Mom, and I raced out of the house. I knew where I wanted to go, and I knew the way there by heart. The plants seemed to move out of my way as I raced in a full-out sprint to La Push. I had to say goodbye.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4. What Will Happen Now?

Amanda looked kinda freaked out to find me standing on her front step, eyes rimmed red and totally soaked. "What the hell happened to you?"

A few tears escaped as I remembered what Dad had said. "Dad found out about Jacob and almost had a conniption. He kicked me out of the house."

She leaned against the door frame. "So, why are you here?"

I looked down the hill towards where I assumed Jacob lived. "I came to say goodbye. I'm getting out of here; out of Forks."

Amanda's mouth dropped open. "Why can't you stay here? They can't cross the borderline, can't they?"

I shook my head sadly. "Dad wouldn't bother to come looking for me, but everyone else would. This is the first place they would think to look. I have to get out." A few tears fell down her cheeks. It killed me to see that I was doing this to my best friend.

"At least spend the night here?" She had a hopeful expression on her face.

I thought for a second, and then decided that I could use a good night's sleep. "Okay."

She smiled and pulled me inside. Emily had walked into the room by now, and looked equally surprised to see me like this. "Nessie! What's wrong?" Amanda shook her head with the don't-ask-any-questions-expression on her face.

"Go on back to my room Ness. I'll be there in a sec." I gladly dashed to her room, crumpling to the floor when I got there, totally overwhelmed. Should I actually leave? Or just stay here? I had accepted an acting scholarship to UCLA a few months ago, and I was supposed to be moving down there in another month. I'd probably be giving that up now. I then became aware that I was making a huge puddle on Amanda's rug. I peeled off my clothes and pulled on a cami and shorts. Amanda came in carrying a towel and two mugs. "Okay! The towel is for your hair, and this is some of my super-duper-special-heartbreak-hot-chocolate." I rubbed the towel through my hair and took a gulp of the steaming liquid.

"Mandy, what am I going to do?"

She looked down into her mug. "I don't know Ness. The rest of your family wants you back, so why don't you go back?"

I sighed, attempting to calm myself. "My dad told me to not bother coming back, and if I came back, he would probably lock me in my room and never let me out! So, I guess I could go to Anchorage, to see the Denali's…we DO have a house in New Hampshire…"

Amanda looked at me incredulously. "You would RUN to New Hampshire?"

I laughed weakly. "No, I would probably run to Houston and get on a plane from there. I can't talk to Dad until he's willing to negotiate something. But, he probably won't." Amanda set down her mug and threw open her closet door, pulling out random shirts and stuffing them into a backpack. "What are you doing?"

She looked at me as if it were obvious, which it wasn't. "Duh, I'm going with you!" I started freaking out.

"WHAT? Are you crazy or something? Amanda, if you ran away, Emily and Sam would strangle me and THEN you!"

Amanda waved it away with her hand. "Dude, I'm 18. I'm done with high school. Bound for community college. I NEED AN ADVENTURE."

I looked at her. "Amanda, we're just two seven-year-olds with rockin' bodies, who managed to get high school diplomas and weasel our way into college." She laughed. We had aged the same way; rapidly and freaking out our parents in the process.

She paused, musing. "We obviously look 18, maybe 19. 20 is out of the question. Jacob can do 25 easy, and Seth could probably pass for 20…"

I shook my head, clearing it of thought. "Wait a minute, what do Jake and Seth have to do with all this?"

Again, the it-should-be-obvious-look. "Well duh, they're coming too! The whole laws-of-imprintation thing includes the can't-be-away-from-the-imprintee-for-more-than-a-day-law." She pulled on a sweatshirt and threw me my ragged flip flops, pulling me up.

"What are we doing?"

"We need to see Jacob, NOW."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.5 Are You In?

I shivered in the cold night air, staring at Jacob's front door nervously. "Are you sure we should do this?" Amanda, who should have been the one trembling; not me, looked completely at ease.

"Positive. Trust me, this is going to work."

I rubbed the sides of my bare arms, trying to warm myself, and mumbled, "That's what I'm afraid of." Amanda knocked impatiently on the door and the porch light flicked on. I could hear Jacob grumbling something about sleep on the other side of the door. Amanda rolled her eyes, but I instantly felt guilty. Had we woken him up? I couldn't remember whether tonight was his night off or not. The door swung open and Jacob stood there in cutoff shorts – nothing else. He looked instantly happy that I was there and hugged me tightly; thank god. I forgot my jacket and Jacob is my space heater.

"Why are you two here?" He led us inside and we plunked onto the couch. Amanda was apparently going to do all the talking.

"Technically, Nessie can go wherever she wants, since she has no home anymore. Her dad burst some vital blood vessel in his brain when he found out that you were madly in love with his 'little girl' and went ballistic at her. And he kicked her out in the process. So, she's running away."

Jacob looked worried and furious at what my dad had done. He put his arms around me and hugged me to him, looking at me cautiously. "Where?"

I shrugged. "New Hampshire, I guess. We already have a house up there, so it's the best plan we've got. General over there wants to tag along for the ride. You in?"

He pressed his lips to my forehead and said, his face determined, "I'm in. What do we need to do?"

Amanda stood up. "Can I use your phone Jacob? I'm pretty sure it would piss Sue off if I showed up at her place at 10:30." Jacob nodded and she strode off into the kitchen. I curled closer to him.

"I'm sorry."

He rubbed my shoulders reassuringly. "What do you have to be sorry for? It's your dad that should be sorry!" I rested my head on his shoulder.

"For making you leave Billy, to drag you along with us to New Hampshire." He smiled down at me.

"Ness, I would have come with you, regardless of Billy. You are the one big thing in my life now, and nothing is going to change that."

I raised myself up on my elbows. "You promise that won't change?"

"Promise."

"Good."

I pressed my lips to his. It was slow at first, but became more urgent, as though I needed it. I entwined my fingers in his hair and he gripped my waist. I could feel his hands sliding my cami up, and I moved my fingers to his zipper when someone cleared their throat behind us and we broke apart quickly, breathing irregularly. Amanda was leaning against the door frame, looking amused and exasperated. "Now, that you two are finished, I can tell you the news. Seth is in, and we're all meeting at the borderline tomorrow at 5am. I've already booked a flight for Tuesday, from Houston to Coleford. C'mon Ness, we need SOME sleep tonight. See you in the morning Jake." Amanda walked out into the steady rain, leaving us staring at her.

"Well, the name 'General' fits her." Jacob smiled and started to kiss me again.

"YOU GUYS! Really, you'll have plenty of time to kiss each other when we get to New Hampshire!" I pulled away from Jacob and glared at Amanda.

"Fine. Bye Jacob." I gave him one final kiss before running outside with Amanda. "You could have at least let me finish kissing him!"

She laughed. "Sorry. It's actually funny because now, I get why people are so irritated around me and Seth. You and Jacob and already annoying, and he just imprinted on you yesterday."

I giggled. "Well, I guess we're runaway teenagers now."

"No, YOU'RE the runaway. Jacob, Seth and me and just accomplices in your little scheme." I rolled my eyes and yawned. Man, I really WAS tired.

"C'mon General, let's go hit the sack." And so the race began.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6. Whoa…

It was around 4:50 in the morning. Amanda and Emily were whispering in the kitchen, and I was looking through my Missed (mostly ignored) Calls list on my phone. In total, Aunt Alice, Grandma Esme, Mom, and Aunt Rose had called me 72 times. Uncle Jasper had called a few times, and so had Grandpa Carlisle and Uncle Emmett. Not one single message from Dad. I took a deep breath, and dialed out a number. She picked up on the first ring, her voice sounding like worried musical wind chimes. "Hello?"

"Hi, Aunt Rosalie."

Aunt Rosalie gasped her voice a mixture of delight and relief. "Renesmee! Oh thank god! Where are you? What's going on?" I sighed.

"I'm at Amanda's house. Don't worry, I'm fine. Aunt Rose…is Dad…" I could picture her biting her lip, looking anxious.

"No Nessie, he isn't any more willing to talk than yesterday. He feels awful that he made you cry, but he doesn't regret what he said. Personally, I think he's overreacting, and so does everyone else in the house." I sat down on Amanda's bedroom floor.

"Aunt Rosalie, we're leaving. Amanda, Seth, Jacob and me are going to New Hampshire."

Aunt Rosalie was silent for a moment, but I could hear her arguing with someone else who was in the room. "Nessie? Bella wants to talk to you." The line was silent for a moment, and then, "Renesmee?"

"Mom!" My voice broke on her name and I started crying.

"Nessie, it's okay. It's going to be okay sweetheart." In the background, Aunt Rosalie was yelling at Dad for making me cry AGAIN. I took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself. Not working out so well.

"Mom, I'm sorry!"

"Nessie, its fine. I'm not on the phone to get an apology; I'm talking to you to reassure you." I sniffed.

"I'm okay Mom. Please don't think about what we're doing. Tell Aunt Rosalie to not think about it either. I don't want Dad coming after us with pitchforks and torches. Please? I have to go. I love you." I closed my phone and grabbed my stuff, walking out of the bedroom. Amanda was waiting by the front door with her backpack. "How did it go with Emily?"

"Amazingly enough, Mom understood and told me that I could go if that was what I really wanted. Are you ready?" I nodded. We walked out into the cold morning air and set off for the borderline. Jacob and Seth were waiting there for us. I jumped at Jacob and hugged him tightly. Seth and Amanda did the same.

"Ready?" They all nodded. And so, it was goodbye Forks, and hello Coleford, New Hampshire.

My eyes flickered open to darkness. Around me, people snored in uncomfortable looking seats. I sat up and stretched out my stiff limbs in the limited space that I had and looked beside me. Jacob was scribbling something unreadable in a notebook. "What time is it?" He looked down at me.

"Around 3:40, or something close to that. You and Amanda crashed in the airport, so Seth and me had to carry you guys on." I faintly remembered stumbling through the huge, bright waiting area, dirty from running and tired. Outside the window, the clouds were blackish-purple and looked eerily menacing.

"Well, we're only over West Virginia, and I already feel at home." I leaned against him and started drifting back off to sleep.

"Ness, wake up!" My eyes snapped open and I saw us descending onto a runway outside. "We're here!" I started bouncing up and down with anticipation.

"Nessie, you're gonna go through the ceiling! Calm down!" That was Amanda. I glared at her then looked out the window. It was beautiful. The only difference between this place and Forks? No clouds today. There was an audible bump as we landed noisily on the asphalt, and rolled up to the Jetway. The frigid air that blasted us in the hallway made me shiver; it wasn't supposed to be this cold in June! We made a mad dash for the door, eager to get home (wherever home may be). "Okay…where the heck are we going?" I glanced down at the directions I had scribbled on my hand.

"45 Crestlake Road. It's only about two miles from here." Seth nodded, pleased that we didn't have to go far. We walked at a normal human pace until we reached the forest beyond the airport, and then broke into a full out run. It wasn't exactly home, but the dense woods seemed pretty close to it.

There wasn't any fog or wetness, besides the early morning dew. Daisies, honeysuckles, and lilacs bloomed at random intervals between the underbrush. Only little silvery wisps floated across the sky, not even close to enough to conceal the clear sky or glimmering sun.

We neared the road quickly, only to find absolutely no way to tell where out house was. I searched around a bit, and saw the Cullen crest carved artfully into an evergreen near a driveway. "This way." I beckoned to them and we raced up the driveway.

"Whoa…" Amanda had said what we were all thinking. It was HUGE. The house looked like a lodge straight off of a mountain, but Cullen style.

"Let's go check it out!" Jacob and Seth ran up to the front door and furiously rattled the lock. "Why. Won't. This. Damned. Door. Open?"

I laughed and pulled a small silver key from my pocket. "Would this help at all you think?" The boys looked sheepish and grabbed the key from me. A couple of turns in the lock, and the door eased open. Jacob swung me up in his arms, Seth doing the same with Amanda. "WHAT? We CAN still walk y'know!"

"Thresholds are a part of our job description." I could tell that Seth was quoting someone, but didn't really give it much thought. They set us down in the entryway, and we were completely silent. It was incredible. The dark, high paneled ceilings contrasted with the light colored walls. The main floor was totally open, with no hallways to separate the rooms. It just flowed effortlessly from the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and some random room that I had no name for. A door near the kitchen led to what I guessed to be the back deck, and another to what must be the garage. The staircase was adjacent to the front door, not interrupting the wide space. "So, how are we splitting things up?"

I hadn't really thought about that. "Well, I guess you and Jacob are too big to share a room…how about me and Amanda in one room and you two get your own?" Everyone nodded. We all dashed up the staircase and into the rooms. Ours was amazingly huge.

"Your parents are good." I nodded and started stuffing my clothes into drawers.

My phone started vibrating and I lifted it off the bed. Aunt Alice was calling. "Should I answer?" Amanda nodded. I flipped open the phone and answered cautiously, "Aunt Alice?"

"YOU'RE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE?"

I groaned. "Does Dad want to kill me?" She sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

"No, n-not exactly. He just doesn't think that Jacob is mature enough to sleep a room away from you without…well…spending the night." Aunt Alice gave up and burst out laughing. I started shrieking.

"EW! OH GOD AUNT ALICE! Tell him from me that I'm not going to sleep with Jake, at least not anytime soon." There was some booming laughter in the background, double giggles, and an enraged, "WHAT?" Uh oh. That would be my pissed-beyond-belief-dad. "Bye Aunt Alice." I shut the phone and flopped backward onto the bed.

"What? What's going on?" Amanda looked at me, her curiosity poorly concealed.

"My dad thinks that I'm going to willingly, or non-willingly, lose my virginity to Jacob while we're here."

Amanda fell onto the bed laughing. "Your dad is so paranoid! But, I'll bet that Em thinks you're too tame to even be alone with Jake at night!"

Sure enough, as though she controlled fate (hmm, who knows?), Uncle Emmett texted me saying, "I bet you're too tame to be in the same room alone at night with the dog!"

That got me riled up. Nobody tells me that I'm too WHATEVER to do anything. I texted back, "Oh yeah? Watch me."

Amanda's eyes were wide. "Are you serious?" I laughed and shook my head, walking out of the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7. Hunting

Seth and Jacob were watching an episode of SNL on the huge flat-screen in the living room. When I walked into the room, Jacob's skin turned red and he stared pointedly at the T.V., avoiding my eyes. Of course, he had heard Aunt Alice's and my conversation. I rolled my eyes and sat down in his lap. He looked a little taken aback by my actions. "Jacob. Really?" I pecked him on the lips and turned my attention to the skit. He shrugged at Seth then looked at me.

"Ness? Your eyes are black. Wanna go hunting?" I nodded. Dang! I had forgotten all about being thirsty during this madness. Whenever I get thirsty, my eyes turn from brown to black, just like my family. Minus the whole butterscotch-y slash gold thing. We bounded out the back door and jumped off the deck, landing at the foot of a huge forest. "We're home" I whispered quietly to myself. It actually LOOKED similar to the dense thickets of trees back home. A warm inviting scent hit me in the face and I leaned forward, examining it; two bobcats, to the…northeast. I looked over at Jacob, who was now a huge russet colored wolf. "Bobcat sound good?" He nodded his massive head and we took off into the seemingly endless woods. Soon, I spotted them. Their muscles were prominent under their sleek coat of fur as they prowled across the packed dirt. This would be fun. Jacob jerked his head towards them as if to say, "Ladies first". I smiled at him and mouthed "Thanks". And, I lunged. The huge cat didn't have a lot of time to react, but he had SOME time. His claws had a great effect with my tank top and shorts, and even an effect with my skin. My skin isn't as hard as my family's; it's softer. A long gash appeared on my leg and I yelped out in pain. Jacob growled behind me. The cat's snarls were cut off with a gurgle, and then he was still. I drained him and watched as Jacob tore apart his companion. When he was done with the mini-massacre he padded over to me, his dark eyes worried. I kissed the tip of his nose and his tongue lolled out to the side.

"I'm okay. Just gonna need some bandages when we get home." Jacob slid in-between my legs so that I was sitting on top of him. I didn't protest, mostly because running would suck with my leg the way it was. I clung to his back as he raced through the trees. Between the gaps in the green, I could see a grey cloak disappear very quickly, but not quick enough that I couldn't see it. It made me feel uneasy, but I shook the feeling away.

Jacob was bounding up the steps now and into the house. I slid off his back and turned away so that he could phase. Once he was human again, he set me on top of the counter and started searching through the cabinets for first aid supplies. Soon, he was patching some gauze to my leg with adhesive medical tape. I watched him in amazement; his concentration reminded me of Grandpa Carlisle repairing all my injuries long ago. "Where did you learn to do this?"

Jacob shrugged. "Ehh. I spent so much time with Bella that I figured it would be a good thing to know how to do." I believed that. Mom was effortlessly graceful now, but she had passed on her human clumsiness to me. He smoothed the last piece of tape down, and there was a charged moment between us. I could almost feel the electricity in the air.

"Um, thanks. For the bandage and all, I mean." Oh great. Real smooth Nessie. He mumbled incoherently, but it sounded like you're welcome. I noticed that his hand was lingering on my leg and he removed it quickly, embarrassed.

"You should probably go get changed…" He smirked at me. "Not that I mind the changes to your outfit." I glanced down and was completely mortified. The damn cougar had shredded my clothes completely; enough so that Jacob could definitely see what was under my clothes. I hopped off the counter and started running to my room. But, I stopped dead around three feet away from it. There was a WHOLE lot of giggling and growling coming from behind the door. I raced back down the stairs and jumped into Jacob's lap, stifling my laughter. His eyes questioned me and I pressed my hand to his cheek, showing him what I had just seen. He just about died laughing, as did I.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8. Unexpected Visitor

Things passed sort of uneventfully over the past month. Jacob and Seth found jobs as part time mechanics in a town not far from our house. Obviously UCLA and Forks Community College were out of the question, so Amanda and I started applying to different colleges in the northeast and south: Massachusetts State, James Madison, William & Mary, East Carolina, Appalachian State, UConn, Penn State, and Dartmouth. I was taking care of the expenses, which Amanda protested to a bit. Until on day, nothing really happened.

I was sitting with everyone else in the living room, examining my arm. I don't think I've really been that scared in a long time. I had woken up this morning to a huge gash in my arm, the origin of it unknown…

_"Nessie! Get up!" Amanda's terrified voice frightened me. I hopped out of bed and saw myself and the sheets covered in dried blood. I started screaming in fear, wondering to god what had happened. Jacob and Seth came rushing into the room. Jacob took one look at me then turned to Seth, his teeth bared in fury but his eyes panicked, saying "Go run the perimeter. See if you can pick up the scent of Nessie's blood anywhere in a 5 mile radius." Seth nodded and dashed out the door, ditching his clothes as he went. I examined my arm closely and found a 6 inch long gash, where the blood was the darkest shade of red. "Jake, what happened?" He stared at me, pain and confusion etched into his face. "I don't know…"_

The door bell chimed throughout the house, snapping me out of my reverie. "I'll get it." I strode over to the huge oak door, wondering who it could be. I threw it open, and it was immediately obvious that this person was NOT human.

His skin was glinting in the slight sunlight that passed through the trees and was dangerously pale. His eyes were scarlet, which frightened me a little. His floppy brown hair hung around his face and in his eyes a bit, giving him an aura of innocence. "Hello, my name is Jeremy." I noticed he had a British accent. Weird… "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I caught your scent and knew that it would be safe to come here." I regained my composure quickly, attempting to be courteous.

"H-Hello Jeremy. I'm Renesmee. Come in." He followed me back to the living room, examining the house in awe. He clearly approved. Jacob and Seth growled at the approaching visitor and tensed where they were sitting. I sighed. "Guys, this is Jeremy. Jeremy, this is Jacob, Seth and Amanda." I pointed to each one of them as I said their names.

"Hello everyone. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I've been traveling for a while and needed a safe place to rest."

Jacob muttered under his breath, "What, you've never heard of Best Western?" I glared at him, saying with my eyes, "Zip it, or lose it!" Jacob shut up but kept throwing furtive glances at me.

"Jeremy, there's a big closet of clothes upstairs. Third door on the left. You can go change out of your clothes if you want." He flashed me a dazzling smile and ran – well, almost FLEW – up the stairs. I went to go sit with Jacob, who was glaring in the direction that Jeremy had zoomed off in.

"I don't like him." Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Amanda laughed. "Aww, look who's jealous! Jeremy is gonna steal your girl if you're not careful Jake!"

I snuggled up against Jacob. "Jake is the only one for me. Jeremy has nothing on him."

Jacob relaxed a little and kissed the top of my head. "I know THAT! I just don't trust him. There's something about him, the way he is…I can't really describe it. I've just got a bad feeling about him." I thought about what he had said. Jeremy seemed so nice; so polite. He didn't seem to have a grudge against us, and there wasn't any evidence that there was any malicious intent to his visit.

"Jacob, he's just a nomad who's passing through. Jeremy will probably be in Toronto by this time tomorrow."

He sighed. "I hope you're right."

We didn't even see him run. There was a little spark in the center on the room, and then Jeremy popped right of thin air. Seth looked incredulous. "What the hell did you just do?"

Jeremy grinned. "Oh yeah, I didn't tell you. Like some vampires, I have a special talent. I can teleport. I call it 'jumping' but you can call it what you like." I looked up at Jacob and pressed my hand to his cheek, projecting an image of all of us looking like we had been slapped when Jeremy had jumped. He nodded. We turned to Jeremy, all of us a little scared. Who was this guy?


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9. Help Us!

Amanda and me were talking on the rooftop one night, when she turned the subject to Jeremy. "I don't know about him. I mean, I used to be okay with him being around me, but now it just feels like something bad is going to happen whenever he's in the room." I stared up at the clear night sky and nodded, understanding what she was talking about.

"Yeah, I know. I don't get why he gives off that feeling." Something In Your Mouth came drifting out of my pocket and I flipped open my phone.

"Hey A" She cut me off. "Listen to me. Jeremy is in Boston hunting. Go to your room and pack only the necessities. Tell Amanda, Jacob and Seth to do the same."

"Aunt Alice, what is going on?" I hissed furiously into the phone as I pulled a confused Amanda through the trapdoor.

"Jeremy is a member of the Volturi. Edward read his mind. I'm handing you over to him now." There was a split second of silence, and then Dad's voice hissed through the speaker.

"Jeremy is 233 years old in vampire years, but he was transformed when he was fifteen. He was a revolutionary solider, and was invading a Patriot camp on the northern coast of Maine, and was shot. Marcus and Caius happened to be passing through, and they saved his life. Jeremy owes the Volturi eternal servitude, or at least he THINKS he does. Aro thinks that enough time has passed to try you again, as they did a few years ago." I remembered. Seven years ago, the Italian vampires had come to try me for the crime of being an "immortal child". Yeah right. They had run away with their tails between their legs after we proved them wrong.

"What do we do? Are they coming? How far are you?"

"Pack lightly, and quickly. We're going to meet you in Detroit. We just passed through the Indiana state borderline. Go as fast as you can. We'll call you in an hour." The line went dead and I stared at Amanda, panic overwhelming my sensibility.

"What's happening?" She shook my shoulders, trying to get me to answer. My lips barely moved as I spoke.

"Jeremy is one of the Volturi. He only came here to make sure that it actually WAS us here, and not just a false trail. They want me, and maybe you guys, to die or turn our backs on everyone and join them."

Jacob's angry yell thundered through the house.

"JACOB! SETH! START PACKING!" I screamed over my shoulder as me and Amanda raced up the stairs. We dashed around our room, grabbing clothes and stuffing them into our backpacks. I finished quicker than she did, and ran back down the stairs, only succeeding in tripping over my own two feet and falling off the last three steps. Jacob's hand caught me around the waist and steadied me. Again, the whole charged moment thing. I leaned up towards him…and…Seth ran up past us, knocking us off the step. Jacob glared up at him. "NICE TIMING MAN!"

Seth looked back at us. "Sorry, but we'll have plenty of time to kiss our girls when we DON'T have a band of murderous vamps on our tail!"

I kissed Jacob on the cheek and ran into the kitchen, grabbing water and a switchblade. The house phone started ringing loudly and I snatched it off the cradle, expecting it to be Dad or another member of my family. But why wouldn't they just call me on my cell phone? "Hello?"

"I know that you and your little guard dogs are trying to escape. It will do you no good. There is no place that you can run; no place that we won't be able to find you in. We WILL track you down and decide your fate then and there, even if it ends in a fight. Oh, and by the way, I'm terribly sorry about what happened to your arm. It turned out quite messy, didn't it?" The polite, courteous tone was back in his voice, contrary to the malicious, serial-killer-wannabe-voice he had adopted before. "If it isn't too much, please look outside your kitchen window." I glanced out the giant sheet of glass and abruptly froze, horrified. Jeremy was standing there, cell phone against his ear, fingering a bloody knife. He lifted it to his nose and inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent of the caked, dried blood, looking at my forearm all the while. I glanced down and saw a pink flat line; all that remained of yesterday. It was exactly the same length as the knife that Jeremy was holding outside…! I let out a blood curdling scream, sheer terror being the explanation as to what had happened yesterday.

"Nessie! What's wrong?" Jake's arms were around me instantly, worried and scared, but not for himself. I looked back out the window, only to find nobody there. The line had gone dead and I clicked the end button.

"They're here. We need to get out of the state. Now." I didn't tell him where we needed to go, since I was afraid that they were still listening. I touched my fingers to his cheek, showing him Jeremy a few moments ago, and that he had attacked me that night in my sleep. He must have drugged me. Jacob growled and hugged me to him.

"I will NEVER let him hurt you again Nessie. That's a promise."

I didn't speak at all. I snatched my backpack off the counter and turned back to Jacob, who was now in his wolf form. He motioned for me to climb on, and I did, not hesitating at all. We bounded out the front door, seeing Seth and Amanda looking like a copy of us, with Seth as a sandy-colored wolf and Amanda on his back. Jacob snarled, thinking of what Jeremy had done. Seth roared, furious that Jeremy had snuck into his love's room at night, thinking of attacking her for good measure, but refraining. "You guys! We're fine now, let's just get out of here!" Jacob and Seth stopped the stream of snarls issuing from their bared teeth (and probably a whole bunch of curse words under that) and nodded to each other. The wind whistled in my ears as we raced through the thick forest towards the state line. Through the trees, I could see grey cloaks disappearing quickly, but not quick enough. This was going to be a fight…


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10 Reunion

Somewhere in New York, Jacob stopped abruptly and phased to human form. I hopped off and shielded my eyes from his…erm…temporary state. Seth stayed in wolf form though, confused still. He cocked his head to the side, questioning Jacob's actions. "I don't mean to be rude, but where are we meeting your mysterious family exactly?"

Amanda laughed. "What's mysterious about them? I mean, it's only Ed-!" I clamped my hand over her mouth, preventing her from finishing her sentence.

"My dad said to meet us at the airport. It's in the metro area of Detroit." Jacob nodded and let the fire rip through this body again, until he was a massive sized wolf again. I hopped on and he and Seth took off running into the thick forest. A ways away, I could hear various sized cars speeding up and down the highway. Amanda stared at me, worried and disbelieving.

She mouthed at me, "You haven't told him yet?" I shook my head and buried my face into his thick fur; well, really his shoulder. I couldn't deal with that right now. If Jacob knew who my family was, much less my Mom and Dad, there's no telling what would happen.

My eyes fluttered open, and I saw bright fluorescent blobs shining against the night sky. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw that they were the streetlights in an airport parking lot. I was in Jacob's arms by this time, and it was really comfortable, as a matter of fact. I looked up at him, groggy. He grinned. "Morning, sleepyhead."

I rolled my eyes. "What time is it?"

He glanced at the horizon, trying to estimate. "Around 2 in the morning." He set me down and I wobbled a little, regaining my sense of equilibrium. Jacob put his arm around me waist and pulled me towards him, lifting my chin. "I'm sorry Ness. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you safe again." I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on tip-toe, my face inches from his.

"Don't be sorry. Everything happens for a reason. And, we're always going to be together, no matter what happens." I pulled his face to mine and kissed him passionately, trying to put all my love into the kiss. He got the message. Jacob tugged me closer to him, twisting his fingers in my hair.

"C'mon you lovebirds! We have an anxious family to see!" Amanda nudged me in the back with her elbow, and I broke away from Jacob, glaring at her. She winked and walked towards the airport entrance, arm in arm with Seth. An electric charge of excitement went through me at the thought of seeing my family again, even Dad.

I started running towards the huge glass doors, seeing right into the waiting area. Everyone was there, even Leah. Dad was sitting with Grandpa Carlisle, talking softly, while Grandma Esme rubbed his back soothingly. Aunt Alice was drawing something on a pad of paper with Uncle Jasper looking on. Uncle Emmett was sprawled out on the floor, apparently bored. Aunt Rosalie, Mom and Leah were standing a little ways away from everyone else; talking animatedly. I raced towards the doors, which opened automatically for me. Everyone looked up at the sound of the metal on rubber, and Mom screamed out, "NESSIE!" She hopped up and ran towards me at an inhuman speed, grabbing me in a bone-breaking hug.

"Momma!" I hugged her tightly, ecstatic to see her again. She let me go, her eyes shining.

"Don't ever do that to us again!" I nodded, tears pooling in my eyes. Mom's eyes saw something over my shoulder, and looked confused.

"BELLA?" I turned around, everything that I thought could go bad with this moment happening. Jacob looked shocked to see my Mom, and more importantly, my Dad. "Wait – YOU'RE Nessie's MOM?"

Mom rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Oh for god's sake Jake, it isn't that hard!" He seemed at a loss for words. Then he found some.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Nessie's amazing, just like you. Well, until you went all freaky on me and everything."

Mom smiled and ran at Jacob, catching him in a hug. "I missed you!"

Jake smiled. "Hey, sorry honey, but I've been somewhat busy." He winked at me over her shoulder. I smiled and turned to the rest of my family, hugging them. Uncle Emmett nearly crushed me. Then, there was Dad. He looked at me sternly.

"Renesmee, you are in SO much trouble. Do you have ANY idea how dangerous these people are?" The tears started to trickle down my face again. Dad looked upset that he was making me cry AGAIN, so he held his arms open, and I jumped at him, hugging him tightly. The tears were flowing freely now.

"I'm sorry Daddy! And please don't be angry at Jacob or anything; he's the one. I know it." He rubbed my back soothingly.

"It's okay sweetie. But, you're going to be grounded until the dinosaurs walk the earth again, just to let you know. I hate being like this to you, but I just don't want what happened to your mother to happen to again. It would kill me if anything happened to you. You're my little girl, and I will always love you. Even if I absolutely despise your…ugh, boyfriend." I smiled and rubbed my eyes, wiping away the tears. Jacob came up and wrapped his arms around me. Dad stiffened a little, and I groaned. Jacob's grip became tighter.

"I won't hurt her Edward. I promise."

Dad glared at him and mumbled, "I've heard that one before."

Grandma Esme came up beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Edward…" she cautioned. He mumbled something among the lines of "sorry mom" and went to go talk with Seth and Leah, shooting dirty looks at Jacob the whole time.

I turned around in Jacob's arms and pecked him softly. "Thanks. You handled that pretty well."

He grinned. "Well, me and your mom were pretty much like brother and sister before the wedding."

I turned towards Amanda, and jerked my head towards the bathrooms. She understood immediately and got out of Seth's lap, running towards the ladies room with me. I stopped at the door and held out my hand. "Wait here." She looked confused, but stayed put outside the door. I shut the door firmly behind me, gripping the counter. God, this can't be happening. We need to leave now. The Volturi will be here; they won't care if they kill the airport employees. What are a few extra humans to them?

"It's a shame that you can't take good advice and use it to your advantage."

My blood turned cold when the familiar malicious voice pierced the stillness behind me. I whirled around and saw Jeremy standing there. "Didn't I warn you on the phone? Didn't I TELL you that we would be able to find you wherever you go? You made it too easy; your trail mixed with the scent of the dogs was easy enough to find, and even easier to follow." My eyes widened; how could we have been so STUPID to not even cover up our trail?

"J-Jeremy, we can figure something out here."

He moved closer to me, and a shiver ran up my spine. "No, I'm afraid we can't Renesmee. I told you that we would decide your fate here and now."

Amanda pounded on the door frantically. "Nessie? Ness, is everything okay in there?"

Jeremy grabbed my arm. "I'm sorry that it has to be this way."

Amanda finally broke down the door and looked horrified to see Jeremy about to jump. "YOU AGAIN? LET HER GO!" She lunged for my arm, but Jeremy pulled me into the spark he created. The last thing I saw and heard was Amanda screaming and Jacob kneeling on the floor, holding his head in his hands. And all I could think was, "I'm going to die…"


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11 She's gone… (Amanda's POV)

I stared blankly at the spot where Jeremy and Nessie had been a second ago, until Jeremy had jumped. Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Leah, and Seth came rushing into the bathroom. Seth kneeled down and hugged me to him. "Are you okay?" I then realized that I was crying and wiped the tears out of my eyes.

"Yeah, but Jeremy took Nessie!"

Edward roared in frustration and Esme put her arms around Bella, who looked like she was about to cry. Alice was rubbing her temples, trying to see around me, Seth, and Jacob. Jacob looked at me, his eyes scared and upset. "I broke my promise."

Alice's eyes snapped open and she stared at Jacob. "What promise?"

He clenched his hands into fists, disgusted with himself. "Jeremy attacked Renesmee in her sleep yesterday night. When we found out that it was him, I promised her that I would never let him hurt her ever again. And now he's…got her!" Jacob's body shuddered and he started to sob. Bella pulled herself out of Esme's arms and hugged Jacob, comforting him. My sister had been abducted by a bloodthirsty vampire, bent on killing her. There aren't any words to describe how awful this is. I looked up at Edward. If looks could kill, then Jacob would be rotting in the ground by now.

Bella glared at him. "Edward! Just let it go! Jacob and Renesmee love each other, and I don't think that you have a say in it! What we need to concentrate on is finding our daughter. Now, just give it a rest already!" Edward looked at little taken aback at Bella's anger, and I didn't blame him. Bella was scary when she was pissed off. She pulled Jacob out into the waiting area, the rest of us following.

I remembered a quote from one of my favorite stories. "Hell hath no fury like the wrath of a woman's scorn." I laughed and Edward glared at me before whispering something in Carlisle's ear. Alice stopped dead, suddenly scared. "What are they doing? Don't you DARE touch her!"

We crowded around her, Jasper shaking her. "Alice, what is it? What's happening?"

Alice looked horrified. "They aren't in Volterra. I can't recognize it. It's a dark room, but it's small. No windows. They've tied her to a chair and gagged her. She…she's naked…she's hurt pretty bad. It looks like Jane or Marcus got to her. She must've put up a fight. They're examining her…Marcus is injecting something into her, but I can't tell what it is." She looked horrified. I felt like I might be sick. I knew that the Volturi were villains, but I didn't know that they were that sick! Jacob and Edward were shaking with anger.

"Have you ever seen this room before?" Jasper acted calm, but there was panic behind his eyes.

Alice pressed her fingers to her head, trying to see clearer. "I can see the outside of the building where she's being held. It's crumbling; pretty old place. The building is done in a villa style, but not Italian. It's…GREEK!" Her eyes flew open and realization dawned in them. "I know where she is! Βίλα Donna!"

I stared at her in confusion as Jasper and Alice dragged us all to the International Flights counter. "Mind running that by us again?"

She sighed. "It translates roughly to Villa Donna. Vampires around that area hang out there while they decide where to go next. Jasper and I went there searching for nomads when the Volturi threatened us before. It was deserted about forty years ago, after the owners couldn't keep up the mortgage payments anymore. It's out near the coast." She spoke quickly to the male employee, who seemed infatuated with her. Soon, we had 11 tickets for a plane to Crete, Greece. The plane was boarding and we barely made it before they shut the doors.

Once we were in our seats, I could actually think. Then, I remembered Mom and Dad. How long had it been since I had talked to them? I pulled out my phone and dialed, hoping I had enough signal for a decent call. Mom's groggy voice picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hi Mommy."

"Baby! Oh my gosh, where are you? Are you still in New Hampshire?"

It felt so good to hear her voice, but it also made me homesick. I missed the cold beaches and grey skies of Washington. "I'm on an airplane with Seth, Leah and the Cullen's. We're headed to Crete. It's some island off the coast of Greece. Long story, trust me. But, to put it shortly, Nessie's been taken by the Volturi. We're trying to get her."

"Amanda, are you sure?" She sounded so worried. Honestly, if I can take down half the pack in under 3 minutes, I can handle a bunch of sissy vamps! Edward laughed and whispered my thoughts into Emmett's ear. He snickered, and I could already see him planning some sort of fighting match, winner taking all.

"Mom, she's family. We have to do something. Tell Daddy I love him. I'll be home soon. Love you Mommy."

"I love you too, Baby. Be safe!" I pressed the off button on my phone and stared out the window. Below us, the thick clouds looked menacing. "

Don't worry Nessie", I thought bravely. "We're coming for you…wherever you might be…"


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12 Oh God… (Renesmee's POV)

My eyes felt sore and dried out when I finally woke up. I was sitting sort of bent over in an old wooden chair. My hands were tied behind me with a few pieces of rough rope as was the rest of my body to the chair. I tried to scream, but something muffled my cries. A rag had been shoved into my mouth. A gag. A cold wind blew through the open window making me shiver. Why would I be cold? I looked down and immediately felt violated. They had stripped me bare, not leaving even a rag to cover me up. I did a quick self-evaluation, moving what I could, and discovered I was extremely sore everywhere. Something moved towards me and I began to panic, struggling against the chair. My cries were feeble, but were made heard. Someone started to untie my hands and I tried to twist around, curious to see my savior.

It was a young girl, no more than 15 years old. She had curly auburn to about her mid back and kind hazel eyes. "Please, don't be scared. I'm here to help you." She untied the rest of the ropes and finally removed my gag. I gasped for breath, since breathing through my nose hadn't fully satisfied my need for oxygen. "My name is Juliette. I'm sorry if I scared you. Here, take these." Juliette handed me a blue tank top and grey shorts. Alice wouldn't approve, but they looked comfy. I tried to pull them on, but it hurt so much that I cried out in pain. Juliette moved forward and gently pulled the shirt over my head and helped me into the shorts. "Come over here. Those cuts need to be cleaned up. And, I'm pretty sure Marcus broke your arm. Nobody can get thrown onto the ground like that and not have at LEAST a fracture." I sat down in the chair, letting her clean the blood off my arms and legs, and examine my arm. "Damn, you're lucky. I can't feel anything more than bruises! You dodged a bullet there. So, who are you?" Oh man, I hadn't even introduced myself yet!

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Renesmee. Where are we exactly?"

Juliette leaned back on her heels. "Well, somewhere on the coast of Crete. It's the biggest island that Greece has."

Wow. I was really in Greece. "Why are you here?"

She bit her lip. "The Volturi took me while I was home with my little brother, who they killed." She was definitely human; I could see the blush in her cheeks and the flow of warm, clean blood under her skin. She didn't speak about the subject anymore, and I didn't press her to go on. "How did you end up here?"

I turned my attention back to the conversation. "When I was a baby, the Volturi tried to kill me for being an immortal child. Only, I'm not! My mom was human when she gave birth to me, and my dad was immortal. Aro thinks that enough time has passed to accuse me AGAIN. Mostly, I crossed paths with the wrong person at the wrong time."

Juliette let out a low whistle. "Dang…y'all have really bad luck."

I laughed weakly. "You have no idea. So, are going to get out of here?"

Juliette laughed sarcastically. "What, you think I haven't tried? In my first year, I tried four times to get out of this place. Look at what they did to me." She lifted up her shirt to reveal long scars on her stomach, and several crescent-shaped marks.

"Oh my god…they did all that to you in a year?"

She nodded grimly. "Yup. Caius and Marcus lost control and bit me, but Aro removed the venom, because he didn't want me to be transformed. YET." She looked at me curiously. "You're vampire pale, but you're blushing. Can't they see that you're as innocent as they come?"

I shrugged. "I know, but I can't seem to convince them." There was the whisper of boots on the crumbling stone stairs, and I froze next to Juliette.

"It's time honey." She gripped my hand firmly, and I knew that we were going to be okay. Hopefully…


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13 It's A Trap!

With every feather light step that they took, my heart beat a little bit faster. Juliette leaned over and whispered, "Renesmee, could you stop trying to crush my fingers, please?" I realized that I was cutting off the blood flow to her hand and lessened my grip. Marcus, Caius, Jane, and another vampire who I didn't recognize walked into the room.

Caius stared down at me, anger in his eyes. "Who untied you?"

Juliette stood up and stared at Caius defiantly. "I did. You got a problem with that, sod for brains?" He seized her by the throat and launched her at the opposite wall. I could hear something crack when she made contact with the stone. Juliette dropped to the floor and I ran over, trying to help.

Caius looked annoyed. "Yes, I do. Apparently, the last four years haven't taught you anything. I guess humans are more incompetent than we thought."

Hannah lifted her head and spat out some blood before she spoke. "Surprise surprise, it can talk." The strange new vampire's eyes flashed (I noticed that they were scarlet; hmm…newborn) and she bared her teeth, taking a step forward to attack us, but Caius stopped her.

"Restrain yourself Juliana. Aro wants the girl's family to WATCH her die. He doesn't want to have to present a body; that would be rude."

Juliana growled at us, and then looked at Caius longingly, speaking in a bell-like voice and stroking his cheek. "Alright…but I want a shot at them later." Ugh. The whole scene made want to puke. Juliette made gagging noises and pretended to barf behind Juliana's back, and I did my best to stifle my laughter. Marcus snapped his fingers and motioned for us to stand up. We eased off the floor and followed the four vampires out of the room. I leaned over and started examining Juliette as we walked. "You okay?" She nodded, wincing when I pressed against her chest.

"Yep, that's a broken rib or two." She groaned. Jane pushed open old blue double doors and pulled us through, not trying to be gentle. She gave me a disgusted look as we walked into the room. At a table in the center of the room, were Aro, another human woman and two more newborns. Gianna was reading quietly over in a corner. It surprised me that the Volturi hadn't decided her fate yet; how could they leave that up for debate for so long, and be so quick as to decide when I would die? Aro stood up and spread his arms wide in welcome. "Ah, Juliette, still as beautiful as ever." Juliette rolled her eyes but maintained her composure.

"And you, sir, still as old as ever."

He and the woman looked sternly at her. Juliette immediately shut up with the smart ass lines.

Aro turned to me, in awe. "Renesmee! You've become even lovelier since we last saw you! You have so much of your mother in you…it's a shame, really, that it's all going to go to waste soon." A little shiver of fear ran up my spine at his words. So, they really were planning to kill me; Wonderful. That's spectacular; just downright awesome. **What in the world is their problem with me?**

"What do you want with me, Aro? Do you really want to have to deal with my family again? Because you know that they're going to be out looking for me."

Aro smiled and sat down in his chair again; smoothing the hair of a newborn (she didn't look to be more than three or four years old!) who was sitting next to him. "That's exactly what I'm counting on. You see, I've wanted your family and their guard dogs on our side from the moment we stepped foot into that meadow. The power that was exhibited there; the possibilities of what we could do would be endless!" Aro had a dreamy look in his eyes, but snapped back to attention quickly. "But, since your family refuses to become one of us, they will be wiped off the face of the earth. And, I'm very well aware that your family is looking for you. In fact, they're on this island, searching for you right now. Listen very carefully towards the northeast." I concentrated extremely hard, and could faintly hear someone screaming, "NESSIE!" beyond the stone walls. I stood there, horrified.

"Jake…no!"

I looked up at Aro in desperation. "Why don't you just take me? I'm the source of all this trouble; my family hasn't done anything!"

Aro smiled sadly and pulled my pink Blackberry from his pocket. "Not yet, they haven't. Let's see…Daddy, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Rose, Uncle Em, Uncle Jazz, Aunt Alice, Amanda, Seth, oh…here we go. Jacob." He pressed the call button and set it on the table.

"Why don't we put this on speaker? I'm sure that little Jacob would love to hear your voice, Renesmee. Oh, Marcus, please take care of Juliette. I'd rather that the Cullen's not know about her. Especially the mother of the coven, Ms. Esme." Marcus nodded and proceeded to gag Juliette and tie her hands behind her back. I noticed that Juliette didn't protest; she must be used to it by now. I could hear the dial tone, and with every ring I begged silently, "Please don't pick up your phone Jake, please don't answer the phone!"

A voice resounded through the speaker a second later, but it wasn't his voicemail. "Nessie? Baby, is that you? Are you okay? Renesmee, talk to me!"

Aro turned to me, smiling. "Your little 'Nessie' is fine Jacob. But that could all change very quickly."

Jacob's furious voice roared through the phone. "What have you done with her? I swear, if you so much as lay a HAND on her!"

"Ah, ah, ah, Jacob, ignorance comes with a price. Jane, please give Mr. Black here an example of what happens when he doesn't cooperate." Jane nodded and concentrated on me, a malicious smile on her face. A fire burned throughout my body and I crumpled onto the floor, writhing and screaming in pain. In between the screams, I was able to force out some actual words.

"Jake, don't! It's – a trap!"

Aro waved an airy hand at Jane, who reluctantly let me out of her glare. I gasped for breath, my skin still burning and tingling.

"Please, don't hurt her anymore. We'll do whatever you say." Jacob was pleading with Aro now.

Aro had a peaceful smile on his face, but the smile scared me. He was planning our demise right now, I just knew it. "Alright, I won't hurt your love. In fact, I'll let her go. The old kitchen on the first floor of Villa Donna. We'll be waiting."

He clicked the off button and turned to the other newborn, who looked to be around 12 years old. "Emily, I think now is the perfect time to show off your talents." The vampire named Emily smiled happily and pointed a finger at me, concentrating. It didn't feel like anything was happening. There was a strange whooshing sound, and then nothing.

"What, was something supposed to – HOLY CROW!" I had glanced down at my body, but I had no body. I was totally transparent. I stared at Emily in disbelief. "You turned me invisible?" She nodded, gloating at her work. Aro looked down at the little newborn and lifted her into his lap.

"Rosalyn? You know what to do." She turned to me, raising her hands towards different objects and motioning them towards me. Rosalyn manipulated the objects to her use; making the rope, which vanished when it touched me, tie itself around me. Telekinesis. Impressive for a little girl. "Marcus, put Renesmee and Juliette into the pantry." Marcus grabbed our arms and threw us into the small space. Beyond the walls, I could hear the swift running of my family. Tears started running down my face. Please don't come here…


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14 Run Now!

There was a click in the darkness and I could hear the sound of a blade rubbing against ropes. "Juliette?" The ropes snapped and Juliette stretched out her arms, wincing at the motion.

She untied her gag and spoke. "Sorry 'bout that. Emily and Rosalyn will do whatever Aro says; he's like a god to them. Here, let me help you with that. Now I know remember why I always carried a pocketknife in my shorts…" She felt around for the rough (but invisible) ropes and slit them carefully, trying not to cut me. I massaged my arms once they had been freed and looked around the cramped space. My eyes fell on a sack of flour and an idea popped into my head.

"Juliette, open up that bag of flour and dump it all on me."

I think she thought that all the stress was getting to me. "And why, exactly would I do that?"

I rolled my eyes without her knowing. "So you can see me, duh!" Comprehension dawned on her face and she quickly slit a hole in top, dumping it all over me. She sat back, admiring her work.

"Well, it won't make it in Paris anytime soon, but I like it! Don't worry; the invisibility should fade after about an hour." I laughed quietly and looked through a crack in the door. Aro was talking soothingly to Rosalyn, but stood up, setting her down beside him. A second later, a sharp knock rang out throughout the room. "Proceed." Aro spoke calmly and warmly, as though he were greeting family. The doors swung open, and my family walked through, looking angry and worried. Aro spread his arms wide in welcome. "Ah Carlisle, my old friend. It's been quite a while hasn't it? Nearly a decade!"

I could tell that Grandpa Carlisle was furious, but he maintained his composure. "This is hardly the time for reunions, Aro. Just give me my granddaughter, and we will go in peace."

Aro patted Rosalyn's head and looked carefully at Grandpa Carlisle. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Uncle Emmett looked scary angry. "What do you mean, you CAN'T? It's really very simple, you old prune! Give us back our niece!" Aro looked at him sternly and motioned to Jane. I had to bite down on my hand to keep from screaming out loud.

Mom knew what was going to happen a split second before everyone else did. Every member of my family did a little intake of breath as Mom's shield took away their sight. Go Mom! Jane looked angry that Mom was blocking her and glared harder until Aro waved her away. I searched around for my friends and spotted them. Seth, Amanda, and Jacob were all standing in the middle; my family apparently trying to conceal them from the Volturi. Jacob spotted me and I put a finger to my lips, shaking my head frantically. He understood. I inched back into the darkness, turning to a relaxed looking Juliette. "So, what's the plan maestro?" I rolled my eyes at her goofiness.

"I'm waiting for the right moment to attack. When Aro moves into a position within a close range, I'll break his neck. You try to take down the other vamps, or get yourself out of here. Got it?"

She looked shocked and yelled out "WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?" I clamped a hand over her mouth, keeping her quiet. I returned to my position at the crack, watching for the right moment. A few seconds later, Aro was about 3 feet away from the closet. Perfect. I motioned for Juliette to move forward. She was still staring at me, her eyes wide.

"Three, two, one…GO!" I jumped out of the closet and aimed for Aro, but the woman jumped in front of him and I couldn't stop and accidentally broke her neck; the action that was meant for Aro. Behind me, Juliette screamed "NO!" and she crawled out of the closet, kneeling next to the woman's motionless body. Aro seized me by the throat, his eyes alight with anger, but my Dad came up behind him, snapping his neck easily. Juliette screamed again, staring at Aro's fallen body. My family sprang into action, going against the other vampires. Rosalyn was cowering in a corner, and I immediately wanted to save her. She was so young; young enough that we could teach her! I moved forward but a cold hand grabbed my wrist. A thrill of fear ran through me until I realized that it was Grandpa Carlisle. He shook his head sadly. Dad looked at Jacob, who was ripping apart Jane. "JACOB! SETH! GET NESSIE, AMANDA, AND THAT OTHER GIRL OUT OF HERE!" Jacob grabbed Juliette and me and pulled us onto his back in mid-phase. Juliette clung to me, sobbing.

Jacob and Seth ran out of the building, none of the Volturi trying to tail us. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?" I had to shout over the wind.

"ANYWHERE BUT HERE!" Amanda screamed back at me. I was good with that.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15 We're Actually SAFE?

I wasn't fully awake, but I had a sense of consciousness. Someone was sitting on the edge of my bed, smoothing my hair and singing softly. "Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleep little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little ponies. Blacks and bays, dapples and grays, coach and six little horses. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleep little baby…" I opened my eyes, expecting to see Grandma Esme, but seeing Juliette instead. She was wearing a clean white tank top, and blue shorts. Her chest had a dark blue brace around it. "Morning!"

I sat up, sore and tired. "What time is it?"

"Around 4am, I think." Wow. It's late. "I guess you're my niece now, or something like that."

I'm not even fully coherent yet, and she's trying to mess with my head? "Hannah, what in the world are you talking about?"

Juliette shrugged. "I'm Esme's great-granddaughter."

My mouth hung open in shock. "WHAT? HOW?"

She laughed and began to explain. "Remember how her baby died? Well, he didn't. The doctors were working to keep him alive, and they did. He was adopted out to a nice lady in North Carolina, but kept his middle and first name. Walter Andrew Edmunds. And, he got married and had a son, named Walter Andrew the II. And, HE went on to get married and have a daughter and a son, aka me and my brother. Walter Andrew the First died two years later, along with his wife, in a car crash. I'm the last living relative of Esme. Scary isn't it? So, I'm TECHNICALLY going to be her biologically adopted daughter, in a sense, unless my rotten dad decides that he wants me back." I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to un-clog my head. Whoa. I had an aunt-sister-person. TECHINCALLY.

Juliette grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door. "C'mon! Everyone's been waiting for you to get up. Jacob vowed not to eat anything until he sees you, so I don't think he can hold up much longer. That was 5 hours ago." Good lord. Jacob must really want to see me. We dashed down the stairs to the living room/dining room. The reason for it being combined was because everyone was either talking quietly or watching T.V., and Sam's entire pack was down in there, eating SOMETHING. Except Collin. Collin and Brady had joined Sam's pack just before I had met them. My whole family looked up at our arrival and Jacob ran over, catching me in a giant hug.

"Nessie, Nessie, Nessie…" I breathed in his woody scent, reveling in the homey feeling of it. I've missed that so much. Something wet fell onto my back. Tears? I looked up at Jacob, who was crying. I kissed the tears away, soothing him.

"Shhh, it's okay, it's alright Jacob. We're okay now."

He held me tighter and whispered, "I've broken too many promises lately. Well, I'm keeping this one. I'm not gonna let you slip away from me again."He kissed my forehead and I sighed, finally relaxed.

Something felt odd though; like something was missing from this moment. Then, I finally placed it. I looked around Jacob to where Amanda and Seth were sitting, eating sandwiches. "What, no interruptions? No comments about how we're destined or whatever?" Amanda smiled at me.

"Hun, you need this. I didn't want to ruin it for you." She relaxed into Seth, who hugged her. "But, this means that I owe you one." Good grief. Well, I can deal with that. I pulled Jacob into the kitchen and started to pull out all the stuff for a mega-BLT when we heard somebody scream "WHAT?" from the living room. Jacob and I looked at each other, imagining the worst. We dashed back into the room, only to see Grandpa Carlisle looking ashamed and Juliette outraged, scared, and crying. I ran forward and hugged her. "Juliette, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer my question, but continued to rage at Grandpa Carlisle. "He HATES me! He hurt me, he hurt Mom, and he hurt Joey! So why the hell are you bringing him HERE?"

Grandpa Carlisle's expression softened when she screamed about being hurt by whoever this was. "Well, I thought that since he is still your legal guardian and seeing as you are a minor, that he should have a say in what happens to you."

I looked at Juliette in disbelief. "Your DAD is coming here?" She nodded, crying harder. Grandma Esme hopped up from the couch and hugged Juliette tightly, brushing her fingers through her hair and murmuring softly. Grandpa Carlisle moved forward, apparently trying to help, but Grandma Esme just shook her head. She looked down at Juliette, wiping the tears away.

"Sweetheart, listen to me. Your father is going to be here in less than three hours. He is still your father, so you must be respectful of him. Even though I think he deserves nothing more than the kind of treatment I would offer to criminals, you must be the bigger person in this argument." Hannah nodded, wiping the remaining tears away and straightening out her clothes. She was more grown up than she should have been for someone her age. More than anyone her age deserved to be. She had been through so much. And now she was about to be put through hell again. The hours passed slowly, until the sound of the doorbell snapped us all to attention. He was here.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16 How Could You? (Juliette's POV)

The vivid memories of Joey and me hiding under my bed during Mom and Dad's vicious fights ran clearly through my head. Would today be like that? Me hiding under the bed like a scared little kid again? No, I decided. Not this time. Carlisle, my Dad, and a woman holding a little boy's hand walked into the room. The boy looked like he wasn't much older than three years old. I immediately wanted to come over and smile at him; he was irresistible! My Dad smiled at me. "Juliette, you've grown up so much. Are you alright princess?" Another flash of memories hit me when he called me princess.

_Dad walked into his office and smiled when he saw me coloring under his desk. He lifted me up and tickled me. "Whatcha up to, princess?" I giggled and showed him my picture. It was me and a little boy playing on the playground. He looked at me curiously. "Who's the boy, Juliette?" It was so obvious, but he, being a Dad couldn't figure out how my imagination worked. _

_"It's me and my brother at the park!" Mom was going to have a baby soon and I wanted it to be a boy, so I could have someone to run around and get muddy with. _

_Dad laughed and tapped my nose. "You could have a baby sister, y'know. It's not certain yet." I shook my head. _

_"It's a boy. I just know it." _

_Dad hugged me. "Well, whatever your little sibling is, you're always going to be my little princess."_

I was five then. Joey had been born after that, just 3 months before my 6th birthday. I was never jealous of him, because I loved him more than anything. Dad had mysteriously stopped calling me "Princess" after Mom left. I came back to Earth and saw Dad still standing in front of me. "I'm fine. Besides the fact of being held prisoner for four years, I'm just peachy."

Dad frowned at me. "I'm sorry that happened to you Juliette, but you're with your family again! This is Laura, and her son Ethan; your stepmother and stepbrother. Come back home with us. We live in Seattle now." Unbelievable. He abandons me, and then expects me to cooperate? Not this time. Jasper took a step forward to calm me, but Rosalie stopped him. I'll have to thank her later.

"You seriously think that I'm just going to come back home with you? After your hurt us all like that? You never even bothered to look for me! I bet you were happy that you finally had Joey and me and Mom off your back! Weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?" His fist made contact with my jaw and I flew backwards, hitting the floor hard. He growled at me.

"Ungrateful little whore! Just like your mother!"

I jumped to my feet and tried to attack him, but Jacob restrained me. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MOM LIKE THAT!" Carlisle, Edward, and Emmett advanced on my so-called family, but redirected their glares to just my dad when they saw that they were scaring Ethan.

"Leave. NOW." Carlisle growled the words through bared teeth. My Dad dragged Laura and Ethan out the door, and I heard the familiar roar of his pickup as it barreled down the road.

As soon as I couldn't hear it anymore, I burst into tears. Esme picked me up and carried me to the kitchen, grabbing a first aid kit from the cabinet. She started to clean up the blood that was trickling from my jaw, and wiping away my relentlessly flowing tears with a wet cloth. "That was awful Esme! It was like his fights with Mom, only I was Mom this time, instead of just a bystander!"

She hugged me to her, comforting me. "Honey, he's gone. And we're never going to let him come near you again. You're going to stay with us. Come on, I think we need to talk to the rest of the family." She picked me up in a cradle hold and set me against her on the couch. I curled up against her, drifting off to sleep. I could faintly hear someone saying, "Well, what do you think Juliette?" Esme shushed them, motioning that I was sleeping. In my dream, it was…well, weird. It actually seemed like I was awake, but I wasn't. A tall, Native American boy was standing in the middle of the living room, soaking wet, and staring at me sorta funny. Jacob was talking to him, but he didn't seem to be listening. Ness looked giddy and kept hugging the boy. We were the only ones left, besides Carlisle, who had sat down in the unoccupied space beside me. I snuggled against him, and he seemed unsure of what to do. Esme laughed softly and put his arm around me. I guess these two were my Mom and Dad now; not so sure how I feel about that… I turned my attention back to the boy. I felt this sort of pull towards him, almost like how Renesmee and Jacob were. The weirdest thing? All of this was happening as though I was wide awake, but no one else could tell.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch. 17 Forever (Renesmee's POV)

UNBELIEVABLE! I HAVE A…hmm…what IS Hannah, exactly? Dad answered my unspoken question. "It's quite complicated, so let's just say that Hannah is your sister and leave it at that." I shrugged, not bothering to argue. Mom pulled Dad from the couch and they bid their goodbyes to everyone. Grandma Esme had taken Hannah up to one of the guest rooms. She was very excited at the prospect of being able to redo the room to Hannah's liking. Aunt Alice was just happy that she had another person to play dress up with.

Jacob wrapped his arms around me from behind, startling me. He whispered very softly in my ear, sending shivers up my spine. "I'm really glad that you're home, Ness."

I twisted around in his arms and touched his lips with mine softly. "So am I. I've missed that."

He swooped me up into his arms and carried me out towards the river. "Where are we going?" Jacob started to run through the trees, reveling in the exhilarating feeling. Soon, we reached a small meadow; filled with soft looking grass, daisies, and a gigantic oak tree. I moved further into it, awed. Jacob spoke softly behind me. "My dad took my mom here when they first met. It was their meadow, and my dad wanted me to take the person I loved here too, one day."

I looked at him, still captivated by the beauty of the meadow. "It's amazing. Is it going to be our meadow?" He smiled and nodded at me. I hugged him tightly, still getting used to his scent again. I had missed it when I wasn't with him.

"I love you." I smiled at him. That was the very first time that he had told me that. It might have not seemed like a big deal to him, but it was to me. I glanced down at my locket and looked back up at him.

"More than my own life." I pressed my lips to his, but it felt different this time. Something was burning in the pit of my stomach, and getting stronger with every second that Jacob kissed me. I wanted him. He broke away from me, and I looked at him confused. "What's wrong Jake?"

He kneeled down to the ground, still holding my hands in his. "Ness, I've been in love with you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. We're meant to be together, forever and always. Renesmee Carlie Cullen, will you marry me?" Those four words have been repeated over and over for as long as people have loved one another, but when Jacob said it, it sounded different. There was something behind his voice; a passion of some sort. He pulled a gold band with one sparkling diamond on it out of his pocket and looked at me hopefully. "It was my mom's ring. I thought that maybe it could be lucky for us…what do you say?"

I stared at him. "Jacob, isn't this moving a little, well, fast? We just met two months ago! And I know you imprinted, but doesn't it seem a little bit sudden?"

He stood up and looked at me seriously. "We lived together for a month, have flown and run across the globe, and almost gotten killed by vicious bloodthirsty vampires. In the period of two months, I realized that I can't live without you. Please Renesmee?" I blinked a few times, trying to clear my head.

"Just give me a minute to think, okay?" He nodded reluctantly and released my hands, backing away a few feet.

God, this is unexpected. Of course I love Jacob more than anything in the entire world, but am I ready to get married? I mean, we only met a short time ago! But, I feel like I've known him all my life. The voice of reason in my head was saying that I should take the logical path and think it over. But, my headstrong impulsive side was saying to screw logic and do whatever my heart said to do. I sighed and walked towards him, grabbing the hand that he held the ring in.

"Do I have to put it on myself?"

Jacob grinned from ear to ear. "No, I think I can do that part." He slid the ring onto my finger and spun me around, hugging me tightly. He set me down against the trunk of the oak tree and started to kiss me again. And things got a little…well, heated. In one swift motion, both his and my shirts were off, mine in shreds. I immediately pulled away from him, knowing that we couldn't take things too far. He looked a little hurt. "What's wrong Ness? Don't you want this?" I laughed and kissed his cheek.

"Of course I do! But, my dad would skin me alive if I had sex before I get married. So please, try to behave, okay?"

He sighed, but grinned. "Fine. But, I'm not making any promises for the honeymoon!" I laughed and kissed him before untangling myself from his grasp.

I picked up my shirt and groaned. "Man, it's totally ruined!"

Jacob came up behind me, rubbing my shoulders soothingly. "I'm sure Alice will understand! I don't think she would kill me too much for destroying some designer original pajama top."

I laughed weakly. "No, Jake. I could care less what Aunt Alice thinks. It's just the matter of me walking into the house in only my bra! My Dad would probably murder you, and then lock me in my room. Plus, we'd never hear the end of Uncle Emmett…" Jacob looked around and offered me his t-shirt. I took it gladly and we started racing back towards the house. I glanced down at the ring on my finger, which sparkled in the faint moonlight. Hmm…Renesmee Carlie Black…I like the sound of that!


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18 Meeting Him (Juliette's POV)

My eyes snapped open to the early morning daylight fluttering through the shutters. Even though I knew that Jacob, Ness, Amanda and Seth probably wouldn't be up yet, I got up anyway, not wanting to stay in bed anymore. I had my hand on the doorknob when I suddenly realized something embarrassing and important all at the same time. There is NO way that I can go downstairs in a skimpy tank and shorts! I peeked cautiously into the closet, not expecting to find any clothes, but instead seeing an entire MALL'S worth of clothes. I walked in, awestruck. I spotted a sticky note on one of the racks and examined it, getting more annoyed with every word.

_Juliette-_

_I already stocked your closet, so choose wisely! Just call me if you need any help matching your clothes…hopefully you do better than Bella did! Ha-ha! Have fun!_

_Love You!_

_Alice_

I can match my clothes perfectly fine, thank you very much! I zipped open one of the garment bags and immediately took back what I had said. Inside was a strawberry and gold colored ensemble, and the tags were in GERMAN. Good grief. This is going to be difficult. Another sticky note caught my eye, taped to drawer in the back of the closet. I ripped it off and read it, preparing myself.

_Juliette-_

_I filled this drawer with some NORMAL clothes after you fell asleep, and after Alice had gone on a designer spree. I didn't think that you would appreciate the things that she picked out. No doubt you've discovered some of her favorites by now. Trust me, you'll get used to it. Anyway, there's some clothes that are more YOUR style in here. No thanks necessary!_

_Nessie_

Wrong! I owe her a very big thank you! That's how I was raised! And because this meant that I wouldn't have to walk around the house in some frilly silk dress. I opened the drawer and immediately sent out a huge mental thank you to Nessie. It was full of denim, cotton, and some girly clothes that I didn't mind a lot. I picked out a long-sleeved white shirt and light blue denim jeans, tying on my ratty converses in the process (I found them in a garbage can in Italy). I opened the door quietly and tip toed down the stairs, trying not to alert the other members of my "family" that I was awake. The house was quiet. REALLY quiet. Where was everyone? "Esme? Carlisle? Ness? Jake? Jazz? Rose?" No answers, not even a comment from Emmett about having a badass dad, or ANYTHING! I followed the scent of warm pancakes to the kitchen and saw a plate of them with some grapes and orange juice sitting on the table, along with yet ANOTHER sticky note. I picked up this one and saw that it was in a fancy handwriting.

_Juliette-_

_Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and I are heading up to Denali to visit Tanya and her family for the weekend. We will be back sometime on Monday night. Renesmee and Jacob are staying at La Push this weekend, in case you were wondering where they were. Emmett left directions by the front door with a skateboard (safety padding included – I don't particularly trust those things) if you want to go visit. And, I've left you food in the refrigerator. Have a good time!_

_We love you sweetheart!_

_Esme_

Well, at least she left a note, instead of just going on her merry way. The smell of pancakes was making my stomach growl in protest, so I didn't hesitate and wolfed down the breakfast quickly. Dang, my mom could cook! I cleared my breakfast and put the dishes into the dishwasher, deciding to do them tonight. Well…what should I do now? I paced around for a minute, before finally deciding to go see Ness, Jake, Amanda and Seth in La Push, wherever that may be. I ran to the front door and grabbed the directions, scanning over them while I pulled on a helmet, and ignored the elbow and knee pads. Those things were completely useless to me. Thank god that Leslie had loved skateboarding back home! I rode down the front steps (yes, I know – I got skills!) and into the street, following Emmett's scrawled out directions to La Push.

After about 10 minutes of riding, I saw the entrance to the village. It looked like a nice place, so I didn't hesitate in boarding right into the town. I stared down at the paper, trying to figure out how to get to Jacob and Seth's houses, until I slammed into someone and fell right on top of them. I opened my eyes and saw…THE GUY FROM LAST NIGHT. NO. WAY. He grinned up at me, his super dark brown eyes lit up. "Well, when you want to meet someone, a hello just doesn't do it for you, does it?"

I blushed and started stammering. "I'm sorry, I-I just wasn't watching where I was walking. I mean, going…um...hi. I'm Juliette." He helped me up and I got my first real look at him. He looked like he was 15 or 16, tall, muscular; with russet colored skin and cropped black hair.

"I'm Collin. You want to walk with me? I could help you get where you're going." I nodded. Sometimes the universe just throws you a freebie!


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19 Really Seeing You

The walk was quiet; neither of us knew what to say. The sun was edging over the ocean line, and we were the only people on the beach. So, no interruptions, or anything like that. I sat down in the sand and stared out towards the choppy grey water. Collin sat down next to me and stared at me curiously. "Why so glum?"

I rested my chin on my arms, thinking. "I'm not sure. I guess because I miss my family." He has NO idea.

Collin looked sympathetic. "Well, you've got me!"

I laughed playfully. "Yeah right! I barely even know you!"

He grinned, happy that he had made me laugh. "Well, we could get to know each other better. You're staying with the Cullen's, right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Esme and Carlisle are sort of like my Mom and Dad now, I guess."

He nodded. "Cool. They're really nice people."

I smiled. "Yeah, Esme is cool. Carlisle is kind of new to the whole Dad-of-a-human thing, but he's doing an okay job. I really like it there. So, unless my stupid ass dad comes back for me, I'll be here for a long time." My stomach dropped when I said this.

Collin looked at me questioningly. "What did your dad do?"

I sighed again, this time remembering all the fights and screams that had filled our house years ago. "My dad was never father material or husband material either. He always hurt Mom, and they were constantly fighting. He hit Joey and me a lot, too. I don't want him to come back again. He had his chance. A bunch of chances, actually."

Collin put an arm around me and hugged me gently. "We aren't going to let him touch you ever again, Juliette. Promise."

Collin hopped up and offered me his hand. I took it, pulling myself off the sand. "So, where were you trying to go, before you swept me off my feet, princess?"

I giggled. "I was TRYING to get to wherever Nessie is. And, isn't the PRINCE supposed to sweep the princess off her feet?"

He grinned crookedly, making my heart skip a beat. "You're absolutely right." He swept me up into his arms and started running up the hill towards the road. I laughed and pounded against his chest with balled fists. "Collin, you let me down right now!"

"No way, Juliette! Don't worry, we're almost there!" We neared a small brown house and he set me down, helping me regain my balance. He spread his arms out wide and faked being hurt. "What, no goodbye-kiss for the handsome prince?" I rolled my eyes and kissed him swiftly on the cheek. He grinned. "Hey, um, I was wondering if I could get your number…?"

I smiled and nodded, searching my pockets for a pen, but turning up empty. "Sorry, I don't have anything to write with." I heard the door open behind me and something hit me in the head. "WHAT THE-?" I turned around and looked at my feet. There was a Sharpie sitting there. I picked it up and scribbled my number on Collin's hand.

He grinned. "Cool. I'll call you. Bye, princess." He turned around and started jogging down the path to the village.

I broke into a huge grin and pulled open the door, only to have Seth, Amanda, Nessie and Jacob fall onto the front porch. "I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WERE LISTENING!" I put my hands on my hips and pretended to be annoyed. But, I was too happy to be angry with them. Nessie and Amanda knew this, so they jumped and gave me gigantic hugs, squealing how awesome it was that I have Collin. I sort of just passed through all that in a blur. I was reliving the moment that had occurred shortly beforehand. Even though this name brought back bad memories, it was different when Collin called me it. He called me princess…


	20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20 SHOPPING TIME! (Renesmee's POV)

"You CAN'T be serious!" Juliette stared in disbelief at the dress Aunt Alice wanted her to try on.

"I'm dead serious! You're the bridesmaid, and this dress would look fantastic on you! Right, Seth? Collin?" They nodded, being total men. "See? The power of hotness works EVERY time. Now, have you found a dress yet Ness?"

I shook my head and looked at the racks hopelessly. "There's too many! I mean, what would look good?" Aunt Alice sighed and pointed to a rack of expensive looking dresses (and we're talking three to four zeros here!). I moved onto that rack and picked out a few dresses, carrying them to where Seth and Collin were sitting. "What's up with Aunt Alice and Juliette?"

Collin choked back a laugh. "Juliette doesn't want to come out of the changing rooms. I have absolutely no idea why, though…" I shook my head sadly, knowing how dumb boys could be about shopping.

"Juliette, c'mon! I bet you look fantastic!" Aunt Alice was demanding now.

Juliette's voice sounded from inside the room. "You guys promise you won't laugh?"

We sounded like little kids when we responded, "We promise!" Juliette stepped hesitantly through the door and Aunt Alice and I squealed with delight. Collin's jaw dropped when he saw her. The dress was fantastic! It was a black halter top that came down to her feet. "Wait, I DON'T look like an idiot?"

I jumped up and hugged her. "Of course you don't! You and Amanda are gonna look fantastic!" I lowered my voice to a whisper. "And, I don't think Collin will be able to keep his hands off you." She laughed quietly and looked over at Collin, who was grinning at her. She smiled at him, blushing.

"Alright Ness, let's get you into those dresses!" Aunt Alice followed me into the room, ready to help me change. "Hmm, not bad Ness. You picked some okay stuff. I love this one! Here, let's try it." She helped me into a floor length silk gown, with a beaded design on the top. Aunt Alice gasped. "Nessie, it's perfect! Let's go show the boys!" She pushed me out into the room and Seth and Collin's eyes widened.

"Well, I'm glad Jacob didn't come. He'd have a hard time not looking like a drooling idiot. You look great Ness!"

I smiled. "Thanks Seth. Amanda? Juliette?" They nodded enthusiastically. "It's great Nessie! This is the one!" I turned to Aunt Alice and shrugged. "The peanut gallery approves, so I guess this is the one. What do you think?"

She looked me up and down a few times, and nodded, pleased with my choice. "It looks great on you, but it's a shame that Jacob is probably going to end up destroying it later." Everyone laughed at my blush. Aunt Alice paid for the dresses and the girls piled into her Porsche, while Seth and Collin followed us in Seth's Ford Pickup. "You girls really are mean, y'know."

We looked at Aunt Alice curiously, who was grinning out at the sheets of rain. "What are you talking about?"

She snorted with laughter. "I thought that Seth and Collin were going to have heart attacks when they saw you two." She gestured to Juliette and Amanda, who immediately giggled. "And Nessie, well, there is no way that I won't be able to NOT laugh when Jacob sees you in that." I blushed furiously and turned on the radio, letting Taylor Swift's "Love Story" relax me. Juliette started singing along and I stared at her. She had an amazing voice.

We pulled into the giant, DRY garage a little while later, laughing upon seeing Jacob and Aunt Rosalie working side by side on the Vanquish. "Well, at least they get along when they have monkey wrenches and blowtorches. Those things can be weapons of mass destruction."

Everyone laughed at my joke and we climbed out of the car, hiding the white garment bags behind our backs. Jacob held up grimy black hands like a peace offering. "I'm not gonna peek! I want to LIVE to be Nessie's husband for at LEAST 10 minutes! Oh, Ness, you got some mail today. It's on the coffee table." I kissed a spot on his cheek that wasn't covered in car exhaust and ran inside, setting my bag on the couch. There were two envelopes addressed on the table. One was from someone named Cammie LaRue, and another from…Jeremy Radcliffe! My hands started to shake and I slit open his letter first, reading it cautiously.

_Renesmee-_

_By the time you receive and read this letter, my life will be at its end. I've been convicted for a murder I never committed in the south of France, and I'm set to hang tomorrow. I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the things I did to you. The Volturi seemed like my last chance for a happy life, and I wanted that chance, even when my life was slipping away from me. I apologize that I caused you pain and suffering, as to your friends. Good day._

_Jeremy_

I set his letter down, shocked and a little sad. He died for something he didn't even do. But, even though I felt sorrow for his death, I couldn't help but feel that he deserved it. Jeremy had tortured, hurt attacked, and even abducted me. I picked up the other letter and saw that it was addressed to Juliette. Weird… "Hey Juliette! C'mere! You got some mail!" She padded into the room and took the envelope examining it. Her face got very white. "Oh please no…"

I looked at her, curious. "What's up Jules?" She shook her head and opened the letter. She read the first couple lines then ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her. I picked up the letter from the floor and read it.

_Ms. Juliette Edmunds,_

_This letter is to discuss your situation, at the moment. You will have to attend a hearing regarding the custody your father, Mr. Walter Edmunds, currently has over you. He is still your legal guardian, and therefore has custody over you. I will be stopping by your place of residence on the 8th of August. Until then, you can call me anytime at my work or house phone. I believe that you still have the number, right?_

_ Best Wishes,_

_ Ms. Cammie LaRue_

Who was THIS joker? I ran up the stairs and banged on Juliette's door, only to be met with sobs. "Juliette? Who's Cammie LaRue?"

She screamed from inside the room. "THE BIGGEST BITCH IN THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD!"

Woah; she didn't usually cuss. She must be really mad. "I think I can figure that out, but who IS she, exactly?"

Collin came up behind me and asked, "What's up with Han?"

The door was thrown wide open and Juliette flung herself into Collin's arms, crying into his chest. "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE! I'M FUCKING TIRED OF LEAVING!" Her screams were muffled, but audible. I began to get frustrated.

"Why are you leaving?"

Juliette looked at me with scared and sad eyes. "Cammie is a social worker who started messing with my life when I was like seven or eight. That's when Dad started hurting me and Joey in public. She tried to move me and Joey out of the house to different foster homes, but I told her to back off, and that we were just fine. And now that idiot is BACK!" She burst into tears again, hugging Collin tightly. He motioned for me to go tell everyone else what was going on, and he picked up Juliette and carried her into her room, shutting the door behind them. I felt a little left out, but knew that she would be able to talk to him better.

I zipped down the stairs and almost knocked over my entire family who had gathered at the foot of the stairs. "What's wrong with Juliette?" Grandma Esme was trying to get past me, but I blocked her. "Her old social worker is trying to get her back into the custody of her Dad. She's representing Juliette at a hearing on August 8th."

Aunt Alice gasped. "But that's the day of the wedding!"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Did you not hear me right? A weird lady is threatening to take Juliette away from us! We can move the wedding to another date! This is important!" Jacob looked a little hurt for a second when I said that the hearing was important, like I was implying that I didn't care about our wedding. I made a mental not to apologize to him later.

Aunt Alice looked at little ashamed. "You know I didn't mean it like that…" I nodded, showing that I understood.

Grandpa Carlisle looked angry. "We'll have to go and fight for custody of her, since Esme and I would be her legal mother and father. And I really didn't want to have to see her repulsive father again…"

Grandma Esme put her hand on his arm. "Carlisle, we'll find a way to win. It's going to work out."

I hugged both of them. "Let's hope this works."


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 21. The Hearing (Juliette's POV)

My fingers shook as I buttoned up my blouse, and Esme smiled sadly at me, finishing the row of buttons for me. "Thanks. I'm just so nervous."

She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me squarely in the eyes. "Juliette, there are armed policemen in there, ready if something goes wrong." I hugged her, still feeling scared. I tied on my disgusting converses and a small wave of peace ran over me; those things are my security blanket. We walked out of the room and down to the front hallway, where Carlisle was waiting for us. He kissed us both on the cheek, hugging me gently.

"You'll be fine Juliette. He isn't going to mess with us." I laughed weakly, walking out to Carlisle's Mercedes and hopping in the backseat. He started the engine and zoomed along the highway, right out of Forks. I plugged in my earphones and let The All-American Rejects' "Sunshine" deafen me. Carlisle held Esme's hand throughout the entire drive, and it made me feel strangely lonely. Collin wasn't going to come, since he would be waiting outside the courtroom the whole time. A few hours later, we passed a cheerful looking sign that said, "Welcome to Seattle! Enjoy your stay!" Yeah right. I'm really going to enjoy six hours in a courtroom with my less-than-friendly-father.

20 minutes later, we pulled up to a brick courthouse, with two people standing in front of it. One of them, I hated with every fiber of my being. The other one, I was overjoyed to see. I threw open the door and ran over to him, getting caught in his hug. "You came!"

Collin's husky laugh calmed me. "What, you think I wasn't gonna be here for you?" I kissed him on the cheek and turned to Cammie. She was smiling at me; totally fake.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?"

Boyfriend isn't the word to describe Collin, but words like destiny, fate, and happily ever after sound awkward in normal conversations. "Cammie, this is Collin. Collin, this is Cammie, my old social worker." He shook her hand politely, but I could see the anger behind his eyes. Carlisle and Esme were a bit more controlled though. They smiled at Cammie and introduced themselves.

"Well, your dad is in there. You ready? Just remember, even though I'll be trying to convince the judge to let you stay with Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, she could very well decide to put you back into the custody of your dad." I nodded, a feeling of dread swirling around in the bottom of my stomach. We started up the steps towards the door, but Collin pulled me aside.

"Hey, since I can't go in there with you, I have something for you." He pulled a little necklace out of his pocket and held it up, smiling. I blushed, a little embarrassed that he had gotten me something. "You like it?" I nodded, hugging him. It was a bluish and white seashell on a piece of twine. It wasn't fancy, but I still loved it. I turned around and lifted up my hair so he could tie it around my neck. The seashell rested right where my heart was. Corny as hell, right? I kissed him gently before heading through the wooden doors. Here we go…

"Juliette, did you enjoy the time you had with your father before you had been abducted?" I sighed at the judge's question, rubbing my tired and red-rimmed eyes. We had been in the courtroom for hours now.

"No, I did not."

She peered at me over her glasses. "Why is that? From what your father has told me, he did everything for you." I stared at her, wondering how dumb she could possibly be.

"Then he's been lying through his teeth. My dad beat me, and my dead brother!" My dad glared at me.

"Your honor, my daughter is lying to you. I was a good father. She just became disrespectful and unruly after her mother left."

Cammie stood up. "May I call a witness, your honor?"

She nodded. "By all means, go ahead." Cammie motioned for a woman to come forward from the benches in the back. It was Laura!

"You honor, this is Mr. Edmunds' current wife. Ma'am, can you tell us how your husband behaved when he saw his daughter for the first time in four years?" Laura kept her head down when she talked, so she wouldn't have to look at my dad.

"He acted like a happy father at first, but then he became violent. He hit Juliette so hard that she flew backwards, and he called her and his previous wife, ungrateful little whores."

Cammie looked harshly at the judge. "No more questions your honor." Tears were running down my face as I remembered when Dad had first reappeared in my life.

"I've reached a decision." The judge sounded and looked determined. "After everything I've heard, from both parties, I've reached the decision to grant Mr. and Mrs. Cullen custody of Juliette, and to grant Juliette a restraining order against her father. I'll need to speak to the three of you in just a few minutes. Hearing adjourned."

I looked at Esme and Carlisle, my eyes wide. "You're my parents now!" I laughed at how weird it felt to say.

Cammie came up, smiling gently. "Well, that's it. Call me if you have any more problems, okay?" I nodded and hugged her. "Good luck sweetie. Sorry for all those years ago." A few tears escaped and I nodded, showing her that I accepted her apology.

Esme – sorry, Mom took my hand and led me over to the judge, who was holding some papers. "I need you and your husband to sign these, and I need you to sign this, Juliette." It was the restraining order we had requested for my dad. I took the pen Carlisle – darn, sorry, Dad offered and signed quickly, wanting to go home. Mom handed the papers to the judge, who smiled. "Good luck." She nodded and we walked out the doors, ready to go home. The darkness surprised me; how long were we in there? My body registered how much energy I had left (not a lot) and I swayed on the spot, nearly falling asleep where I stood. Dad picked me up and cradled me to him. He walked to the Mercedes with Mom, laying me across the backseat. A pair of scorching lips touched my forehead, before I heard a pickup truck start up. Collin had driven behind us to the hearing in his truck, I guess. The Mercedes started with a purr and I felt us pull out of the space and onto the road. I was going home; for good.


	22. Chapter 22

Ch. 22 Party (Renesmee's POV)

"Aunt Alice, just give me a hint and I'll be still!"

Aunt Alice glared at me. "Mascara wands can be weapons, you know." I sighed and pouted, still annoyed. It was my bachelorette party tonight, and Amanda and Juliette were taking me out. Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice were coming too, only because they were the ones who actually like to go out and have teen fun in our family. Aunt Alice's torture-by-makeup didn't seem so awful, since she had shown me the outfit I was supposed to wear already. "Renesmee, it's SUPPOSED to show more skin than normal!" she had told me. It mostly consisted of stilettos and the shortest skirt in existence. Aunt Alice finished straightening my hair, after reassuring me the curl would come back after I showered. I stood up, regaining my balance with her help. Aunt Alice was dressed similar to me, only her outfit was yellow and black, while mine was aquamarine and black. We walked out of my room, meeting Aunt Rose, Amanda and Juliette in the hallway. They both looked shocked that they were wearing this stuff, but they actually looked good in it. Amanda had purple and black, Rosalie had red and black, and Juliette had pink and black. She looked like she might puke.

"Alice, you know that I absolutely HATE pink! And I'm going to guess that we're NOT going to a concert, are we?"

Aunt Rosalie shook her head gleefully. "Nope! This is what we do for fun when our men insist on having football night!"

I looked over at them. "She's not lying. And you should stick around for those nights! They're fun! Emmett, Jasper and I usually end up pelting popcorn at Mom, Dad and Grandma Esme! Grandpa Carlisle is the ref!" Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice rolled their eyes.

"C'mon. We want to show you why we never dress like this for the guys. At least, not around the entire family. Come on out boys!" We started to descend down the stairs and a blush started to creep onto my face. Collin, Seth, and Jacob were walking into the front hallway. When they saw us, their jaws dropped.

"Please, please, PLEASE let us come with you to –!" Amanda shut up Seth with a kiss.

"Alice and Rosalie haven't told us where we're going yet!" Jacob was still staring. Aunt Alice pulled his ear down to her.

"Just wait for the honeymoon! I have stuff MUCH scarier than that for her." Jacob gave Aunt Alice a kiss on the cheek and she stuck out her tongue. "YUCK! Wolf slobber!" I pulled him towards me. "I LOVE wolf slobber!" Juliette started gagging, which made everyone laugh. Aunt Rosalie started pulling us towards the door but stopped when Dad called out from the living room.

"ROSALIE LILLIAN MCARTHY CULLEN! MARY ALICE BRANDON HALE CULLEN! If you turn my daughter into a hooker, I have some lighters in here!"

Uncle Emmett's comment was entirely the opposite. "Videotape it for Jasper and me, Rose!" We were doubled over with laughter on our way out the door.

"You're kidding me, Aunt Alice."

"Nope! We told you we were gonna show you girls what we do for fun on football nights!" Alice had pulled up to a loud, lit up club. Juliette looked at the club in excitement, though.

"Hmm…some tequila, some music, and a lot of boys…nice pick, you two!"

I stared at her like she was crazy. "What the heck? How are you even here? I'm surprised that Grandpa Carlisle even let you come!"

Juliette looked a little guilty. "Well…Dad doesn't actually know. Mom told me I could go, since he has the night shift at the hospital tonight…c'mon! It's your last night as a bachelorette!"

I looked out the window and sighed, opening the car door. "Come on, let's go party…" Aunt Alice cheered and jumped out of the car – she practically leaped! We sauntered into the club and New Divide by Linkin Park hit us right in the face. Amanda immediately got bombarded by invites for a dance. Lucky. She headed off to go bust a move or whatever on the dance floor, while we went over to the bar. The bartender was actually quite sexy…God, stop it Renesmee! You're getting married, I told myself. "So, what can I get you angels to drink?"

Aunt Alice and Aunt Rose seemed to be ignorant to the fact that he was flirting with us. Aunt Rose: "Jack Daniels, please." Aunt Alice: "Margarita, thanks." Juliette: "Tequila shot, thanks very much." Alice: "Lose the tequila. She'll have a Cherry Coke." Me: "Pina Colada, please." A guy approached me a few minutes later, looking determined; probably from the alcohol.

"Wanna dance?" I felt a little taken aback, but nodded, taking his hand and following him to the dance floor. I was a little unsure of what to do. Just Dance by Lady Gaga was playing, one of my favorite songs. "Just dance baby!" I started to let the music overtake me, moving my body to the rhythm. He tried to kiss me and I pushed him away but he pulled me back to him.

"Get off me you creep!" He wouldn't let go, but someone from behind me pulled me to them. They were cold. It was Aunt Rosalie.

Juliette moved in front of him and put on her scary face. "Nobody messes with her." He looked at her in disgust.

"Oh yeah? Says who, bitch?"

She punched him in the mouth and he staggered backwards, bleeding. "Says me, the bitch."

We walked towards the exit, dragging an unwilling Amanda behind us. "PLEAAASE can we stay? Just one more dance? We can ask Security to kick that guy out!" Aunt Alice gave her the Cullen Glare and turned to me. "Sorry, I guess that plan wasn't very well thought out. What do you want to do now?"

I smiled. Look out Seattle, here come the bachelorettes!


	23. Chapter 23

Ch. 23 Wedding Day (Nessie's POV)

Someone came into my room, whistling cheerfully and yanked the curtains open. This happened WAYYYYY too early in the morning. "C'mon Nessie, up and at 'em!" Aunt Alice sounded way too awake for however early this may be. I opened my eyes and looked around blearily.

"Aunt Aliceeee, come on! Just five more minutes…" I slumped back onto my pillow, trying to go back to sleep. Her voice was still too sugar- and-cotton-candy-sweet. She was like the freaking Energizer bunny!

"Nope! Get up Renesmee! Don't make me get the bucket…"

I shot up, wide awake. "You wouldn't." Seth shuffled into the room, completely soaked.

"Oh yes she would. Evil little pixie…" He muttered to himself, walking out of the room.

"Love you too Sethie! Alrighty then Nessie! We have to get you ready! It's your WEDDING DAY." My heart started to beat a little bit faster at the mention of my wedding. I was more than excited, but also beyond scared. Aunt Alice sensed my heart beating faster than normal and she hugged me. "You'll be fine. It's a good thing I bought waterproof stuff…come on! We gotta get you all pretty-ed up! First of all, shower!" She shoved me into my bathroom and locked the door behind me. Good grief. I should know by now that arguing with Aunt Alice is completely pointless. You can never win.

So, after my LOVELY shower, I was forced to be a mega-sized Barbie doll. Aunt Rosalie was brushing out my curls and Aunt Alice was painting my toes when I asked a random question. "Am I acting like Mom?"

Aunt Rosalie laughed. "Well, if you mean being unnecessarily nervous and worrying about nothing, then yes."

Well, that means that they're SORTA used to this. "What did Mom act like when she married Dad?"

Aunt Alice answered this time. "Bella was a complete wreck until she got to the altar. We thought she was going to be sick. But, she made it! And you will too! Now come on, we have to do your makeup. Rosalie wants to do it, and it's going to be simple. Trust me, Bella took HOURS to do." Actually, having Aunt Rose do my makeup wasn't so bad. Just the regular stuff, but a bit more than usual. I looked at my arm and saw the faded pink line; one of the only physical souvenirs I had kept from our…ADVENTURE. Could it really have only been a little more than 3 months ago? Everything seemed to be zooming by so fast… I didn't even know Jacob at the end of the school year, and now the summer is about to end and we're getting married. How the hell did THAT happen? Aunt Rosalie finished up with me and helped me into my dress. The smooth satin felt comfy. Mom had offered her old dress, but I very politely said no. Lace just isn't really my thing. Juliette burst in, red faced and excited.

"Rose! Hide me!" Aunt Rosalie looked confused but did as requested, shoving Hannah behind some old overcoats. Seconds later, Aunt Alice burst in, carrying a pair of 4 inch high stilettos.

"Have you two seen Juliette? We need to have a serious discussion about her footwear…" Aunt Rosalie shrugged and Aunt Alice walked out in a huff, muttering under her breath. Juliette burst out from the closet and hugged Aunt Rosalie tightly.

"Thank you! I told her that the satisfaction of seeing me in a dress I would never wear again should be enough. But NOOOOOO. She has to go and haul out the death trap shoes. So, I decided to outsmart her!" Juliette lifted up her dress to reveal…converses; Classic Juliette. I started laughing, finding this hilarious.

Juliette handed me my pink converses and smiled. "Amanda is wearing her red ones. We're like triplets or something like that. Cool, right?" I smiled and nodded before turning to Aunt Rosalie. "Can I?" She smiled and pointed towards the door, gesturing for us to go. I hugged her and ran out with Juliette.

Back in my room, Juliette started counting off on her fingers. "Okay…the converses are old, the dress is new, and your nail polish is blue…oh! Here we go! Something borrowed!" Juliette pulled a little necklace with half a rose on it. "It's a friendship necklace. I have the other half. See?" She pointed to her neck. The rose fell just below her blue and white shell necklace. She put mine on for me and looked me up and down. "Well, you're all set! Let's go get you hitched! Oh no, don't you DARE start crying! This is supposed to be a HAPPY occasion! Only the mother of the bride is allowed to cry! You hear me?" I laughed and nodded, brushing the starting tears away. She was right. It was silly to cry this much. I'll be allowed to cry as much as I want to when Jacob and I say goodbye to everyone. Thinking of this made me think of the honeymoon. I was so excited! Jacob wouldn't tell me where we were going, but he told me that it was going to be someplace really special. Everyone else knew, including Juliette, Amanda, Collin, and Seth! Definitely NOT fair. Juliette waved her hands in front of me. "C'mon! We've gotta go! Listen!" The beginning notes of Pachbel's Canon were drifting from downstairs; Aunt Rosalie. My heart beat faster and Dad came in, giving me a hug. "Edward, calm her down. I'm gonna go get Amanda." Juliette ran out of the room, leaving me and Dad alone.

"Daddy I'm scared." It was amazing how much of a five year old I sounded like. Almost identical to when I had said that when Uncle Emmett had gone into a rage once when Aunt Rosalie had been burned by him on accident. Grandpa Carlisle had to WELD the chunk of skin back to her leg. Uncle Emmett was stomping around the house, breaking things and yelling incomprehensible words.

"Baby, it's alright. Now come on, Jacob is waiting for YOU. Not anybody else, just you." A small wave of calm ran over me and I let Dad put on my veil. "Let's go Munchkin. We're up to bat." He did NOT just quote Papa. Good grief, how corny.

When we emerged onto the staircase, Juliette and Amanda had just finished their descent down the stairs. Everyone was sitting in ribbon draped chairs; Papa and Nana, Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme, Mom, Grammy and Grandpa Phil and their son Uncle Jesse, Jared and Kim, Sam and Emily, Paul, Brady, Quil, Embry, Billy in his wheelchair (Alice had put ribbons on it!), the Denali's, and to my great surprise, Laura and Ethan! He looked so adorable in his little suit! The entire room was draped in faded pink and porcelain colored ribbons, and huge bouquets of roses, freesia, and lilac were everywhere. The smell was nearly intoxicating. We began our descent down the stairs when my eyes met Jacob's. At that moment, I was absolutely sure I had never seen anything more attractive or handsome in my entire life. He was grinning broadly and staring at me. I felt a heat spread slowly over every inch of my skin. It was smoldering, not burning. The only thing that kept me from running straight for the altar was Dad, who was walking WAYY too slowly. Dad finally passed me off to Jacob with a hard look on his face. If he could, I bet he'd be crying. Jacob took my hand, and the warmth increased. This was where I belonged. Here, with him; Forever and always.

The vows were quick and simple. By the time the minister got to the "I Do's", my eyes were glistening. "Do you, Jacob Daniel Black, take this woman to be your wife? Do you promise to love, cherish, and care for her as long as you both shall live?"

His voice was loud, clear and victorious. "I do."

The minister nodded then turned to me. "And do you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, take this man to be your husband? Do you promise to love, cherish and care for him as long as you both shall live?" My voice on the other hand, was shaky. Only because I was near tears! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juliette roll her eyes and Collin laughed but passed it off as a violent sneeze.

"I do." I was finally able to force the words out.

The minister smiled. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, sir." Jacob pulled me up to him, revealing my converses (I could hear Aunt Alice growl and Juliette and Amanda giggling), and kissed me softly. I wanted a more passionate kiss, but he chuckled and whispered in my ear,

"Honeymoon. Where your Dad can't give us the glare." Applause erupted all around us and we were immediately showered with hugs; hot, cold and normal alike. Aunt Alice broke it all up and ushered everyone outside to the reception. It was beautiful. It was a massive tent with little lanterns everywhere, throwing a soft glow over everything. The sound system started to play a slow song and we went out to dance. It was the song that played on the radio the day after he first kissed me: Lemonade by Chris Rice. One of my favorites, in fact. We swayed slowly to the music, just enjoying the fact that we were together, finally REALLY together. Jacob whispered in my ear, making shivers go up my spine again.

"So, are you excited to be Mrs. Black?"

I kissed him, smiling. Camera flashes went off, taking away from the romantic-ness of the moment. "More than you can possibly imagine." I kissed him again before AUNT ROSALIE stepped in, asking for a dance. What next, were rabbits going to turn purple and start dancing the watusi? Dad walked up and offered me his hand, which I took gladly. He lifted me onto his feet, knowing that I have no dancing ability whatsoever. Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme were whirling around the floor like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. "Dad, tell me that Aunt Rose isn't going to rip Jacob's head off. Please just reassure me of that fact."

Dad laughed quietly. "Yes sweetie. Rosalie is just talking to him. She wants to make sure that he's going to treat you right. Personally, I think she's stealing my job." I laughed and laid my head on his chest, breathing in his Dad-smell. It was comforting; reassuring.

"Daddy, do you think me and Jacob rushed into this?" He smiled at me. We could have been siblings, with his being frozen at seventeen and all.

"Renesmee, I fell in love with your mother from the moment I saw her. We were together for a year before we got married. We knew that we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives. You and Jacob aren't that much different. Sure, it moved a little fast, but I've seen the way he looks at you; like you're the only person in the whole room. You're the number one thing in his world, Nessie. He's truly your other half."

I grinned. "Thanks. That helped a little bit."

He kissed my forehead and said, "Anytime honey." Over in the corner, Juliette was playing peek-a-boo with Ethan, who was laughing gleefully while Laura and Collin watched. I guess amends had been made.

Billy wheeled over to me and took my hand, smiling at me. "Welcome to our family Renesmee. I know Jacob made a good choice." I smiled and hugged him. I didn't know him that well, but already I loved my new father-in-law.

The reception passed in a blur. We followed all the traditions; I watched in disbelief as Jacob swallowed the fistful of cake I had given him, I tossed my bouquet right into Amanda's surprised arms, and Jacob pulled my garter off EXTREMELY carefully – with his teeth! – And shot it right into Collin's face. We were sharing one last dance until I was forcibly dragged away by Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice.

"I wasn't even finished dancing with him!"

Aunt Alice giggled. "Oh trust me; you'll have PLENTY of time to dance on the honeymoon. We need to get you into your going-away outfit!" Uh-oh. I don't like the sound of that… They pulled me out of my dress and gave me a short white sundress to wear on the plane. I pulled on my converses again and dashed out of the bedroom to the front door, where Jacob and the rest of my family were standing.

"NO. CRYING. ALLOWED." Juliette and Amanda hugged me tightly, telling me I could call them whenever I wanted. I held onto Mom and Dad for a few minutes before moving to Grandma Esme and Grandpa Carlisle, then Aunt Rosie, Uncle Jazz, Uncle Em, and Aunt Ali. I would miss them all so much. Jacob took my hand and we ran down the front porch towards the waiting Rabbit, being pelted with rice the entire way. Emmett was shooting rice out of a freaking water gun!

I waved goodbye and called "I love you!" to the front porch, until we were too far away to make out anymore faces. I laid my head against his shoulder and said "I love you."

"That's why we're here."


End file.
